The match is due to take place at one of the main stadiums of the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia on October 10.
Student Amir, who has been living in Russia for a long time, told Sputnik Iran he is a fan of the football club CSKA Moscow. According to him, he more than once visited the matches to support his favorite team and did not have any problems.
"For the Iranians living in Russia, the upcoming match is very interesting. Since the announcement of the event, we along with our Russian friends have been trying to guess which national team will win," Amir added.
"There are a lot of football fans in Russia, and their demonization by a number of [mainstream] media outlets has nothing to do with reality," he pointed out.
He was echoed by another football fan, Mehdi, who also lives in Moscow. He said that he is "very happy that Iran's national team is going to visit Russia to participate in a friendly match."
"I will definitely visit the city which will host the match in order to see this event with my own eyes," he said.
Football fans living in Iran are also ready to come to Russia, according to Abbas Ismail Beigi, leader of the fan movement of the Tehran Persepolis football club.
"I will certainly go to Russia to visit the match and I think that many Iranian fans will follow suit. Our countries have developed friendly relations, and there are no problems with visas," he said.
In March, the Daily Mirror published an article about the Russians ostensibly preparing to fight the English fans. The newspaper illustrated it using photographs of traditional fistfights during the spring celebration of Maslenitsa (Shrovetide).
The Sun, a British tabloid, published a video in April about riots erupting during a football match between the Ukrainian football clubs Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtyor Donetsk. The video had the caption "Racism in Russia."
