Coach Carlos Queiroz has said that the Iranian national will surprise the Super Eagles, when both sides clash  in an World Cup match in Curitiba on June 16.

The World Cup will be held from June 12 to July 13 in Brazil and Iran have been drawn in Group F, along with Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Nigeria.

Queiroz, who is in Brazil to attend a FIFA workshop, said that he was confident that the Iranians would acquit themselves well at the biggest soccer tournament in the world.

“I am confident that we will do well at the tournament. And for that to be possible, it is important that we start well in our first match against Nigeria, who I believe, we will surprise”, said the Portuguese-born coach, who lauded Iranians in an interview with the Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.

“The world has a bad image of Iranians. We will try to bring ‘pride and dignity’ to Iran during the FIFA 2014 World Cup.

“You need to live in Iran to know that Iran is a place like other places in the world. People cry, laugh, take their kids to school, get caught in traffic jams… the people are all equal there,” the former Real Madrid coach added.

“Their football has been affected by economic sanctions. In Iran, you don’t need to convince anybody to love football, like in neighboring countries and the United States. Iranians have football in their souls,” Queiroz stated.