Omid Ravankhah’s side chances also hinge on the outcome of the Korea Republic and Uzbekistan tie – if there is an outright winner there and Iran also come out tops, both victors will advance.
The central Asian side is on two points but regardless of the group outcome, head coach Ravankhah is confident his men have the advantage over Lebanon.
This will be the first meeting between Iran and Lebanon at the AFC Asian Cup; Iran has, however, lost each of its last two games when facing a side for the first time in the competition ( a 2-1 loss against Korea Republic on 12 January 2020 & a 2-1 loss against Turkmenistan on 4 June 2022).
Iran has failed to win a game in each of its last five AFC U-23 Asian Cup games, only Malaysia (7) and Yemen (6) have a longer active streak in the competition.
The match will be held at the Al Shabab Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.