Iraq and Chile will battle for the top spot in Group E when they face off in the final round of group matches on Saturday.
Both squads are tied for first place in Group E with four points in two matches. Though both clubs have qualified, their final standing is unsure. The group winner will face Paraguay in the round of 16 while the second place team stands to face the Group F winner. Interestingly, one club could find itself in third place with a loss combined with an England win over Egypt; the third place team would then have to face Greece in the knockout rounds.
While Chile has accomplished what it set out to do, Iraq has been surprising with two comebacks against England and Egypt; the Middle Eastern club won the latter match 2-1.
"People might be shocked by Iraq at this tournament, but I'm not at all," Iraq coach Hakeem Shakirhe toldFIFA.com. "In fact, I expect even more from my team in the games ahead. If people have been surprised so far, they should expect even bigger surprises in the future. I left my job as national coach for that reason - because I was so convinced that this team was special and could do a lot of good in this competition. Whenever I had brought these young players up to play with the senior team, they were the ones who stood out. People might have thought it was strange when I changed jobs, but I think everyone can see now that I was right to take the gamble."
Regarding the two comebacks, he added, "I am happy with our comebacks but, believe me, I wish they weren't needed. I would be a lot happier if it was us who took the lead for once. But I must say that it is a mark of any great team that it fights back when things are tough. We have already faced the champions of Africa and one of the best teams in Europe, and the players never accepted defeat. That is something I am very proud of. You can make mistakes in any game but the most important thing is to correct those mistakes, and that is what our players have done."
Prediction: Iraq defeats Chile 2-1; there will be no comeback necessary.
Start Time: 2 PM EST
TV: The match will not be televised in the US.
Follow Live Score on FIFA.com.
Watch Live Stream on ESPN3.com.
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