Team Melli started the campaign with a 2-0 win away at Hong Kong on Matchday Two in Group C.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh is Iran’s great name who was omitted from the squad by head coach Marc Wilmots ahead of this week’s clash with Cambodia and the October 15 trip to Bahrain.
Jahanbakhsh, a key performer in Iran’s success against Hong Kong on Matchday Two, has not featured for English Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion since picking up an injury while away with Team Melli.
Despite the striker’s enforced absence, Wilmots will be encouraged by the form of Sardar Azmoun.
The 24-year-old is currently attracting headlines aplenty thanks to a string of notable displays for club side Zenit St. Petersburg – not least in the UEFA Champions League where he has scored two goals in as many games.
Cambodia has just earned one point from its opening two matches.
After the match with Iran in Tehran’s iconic Azadi Stadium, Cambodia will face Iraq in Phnom Penh next Tuesday.