Less than 24 hours from kickoff, the drama surrounding the United States men’s national team’s match against Iran on Tuesday has reached fever pitch. Not only is there everything to play for on the field, there is a growing discontent between the geopolitical rivals away from the pitch.

Throughout this World Cup, discussions involving Iran have revolved around conditions back home, where 410 protesters have been killed in the two months of unrest after the death of a 22-year-old woman while in custody of the country’s morality police. In an attempt to show solidarity with those protesters, the US Soccer Federation briefly displayed Iran’s national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic, resulting in fierce backlash, the Iranian government accusing the federation of removing the name of God from the national flag.

It hasn’t helped the matter that ex-USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann criticized Iranian football culture after their 2-0 win over Wales on Friday.

That’s the backdrop Tuesday’s group stage finale will play out in front of. On the field, the two countries will be playing for a place in the knockout rounds. The US sit third in Group B on two points, after draws against Wales and England, and must beat Carlos Queiroz’s side if they’re to make the round of 16. Second-placed Iran, meanwhile, will advance to the group stage with any result other than defeat.

This match is shaping up to be one of the most intense contests of the group stage. So how will it play out once the game kicks off? ESPN asked Jeff Carlisle and Gabriel Tan to break down how these two teams match up.

What has worked for the US? And what hasn’t?

The US have been outstanding defensively so far, which has been a pleasant surprise. The center of the defense was thought to be a weak spot, but Tim Ream’s insertion into the lineup alongside Walker Zimmerman has worked wonders. They haven’t done it alone either, with Tyler Adams winning an impressive 85.7% of his tackles. As a team, the US have been effective with their pressing, flummoxing England, and Matt Turner has been solid in goal. The only hiccup — and yes, it was a big one — was the late penalty Zimmerman conceded against Wales.

The big issue for the Americans has been their inability to find the net on a consistent basis. Manager Gregg Berhalter has felt that his team has created chances but hasn’t finished them off. There is some truth to that in that the US are underperforming in terms of expected goals (xG) (1.42) compared with actual goals scored (1). The reality is that the xG mark ranks 26th out of 32 teams in the World Cup, and the US are tied for 15th in terms of chance creation with 14.