Egypt may have the likes of Mo Salah and Omar Maroush on their side, but their upcoming round of 32 battle against Australia won’t be an easy task.
It took 24 hours after the Socceroos′ final group stage game to learn who their opponent was and Egypt’s draw with Iran confirmed the clash.
Mo Salah is just two goals away from becoming Egypt’s all-time leading goalscorer. Fran Santiago
The Pharaohs will enter the round of 32 with one major injury cloud hanging over their team, superstar winger Salah, who lasted just 57 minutes against Iran.
The thrill of the final 30 minutes of that 1-1 draw to Iran overshadowed Salah’s injury scare, even though the nation’s captain sat with ice on his hamstring.
He was all smiles as celebrated his team’s win on Saturday but Egypt coach Hossam Hassan confirmed he will need to undergo scans before the next game.
It’s not an ideal situation for Egypt to be in nor would Australian fans want to see Salah sidelined, given his standing as a Premier League legend with Liverpool.
If he is sidelined, pressure would only grow on Marmoush to deliver a remarkable performance and help his team dismiss the Socceroos.
But aside from Marmoush and Salah, former Socceroos player Mitch Austin feels the green and gold actually boast the better line-up.
“Outside of (Marmoush and Salah), I don’t want to be too confident, but I think the rest of the squad on paper I’d probably happily take most of the Socceroos guys (to form a team),” Austin said on Stan Sport’s Added Time.
“If I were Nestory Irankunda looking at their back four, I’d be licking my lips. They’ve not too much pace at the back there.
“We know what Marmoush can do from Manchester City with his pace – we need to lock him down … but defensively Egypt, they’ve just not been great.
“Even Mo Salah, he’s playing more central (opposed to the wing). When he’s drifted out onto that right-hand side that is when he seems to cause the problem.
“I think if we can contain him to the middle of the park and we don’t let him get on that half turn, I think we can really lock down Egypt.”
Prior to Egypt’s draw on Saturday (AEST), it looked highly likely that Australia’s round of 32 opponent would be either Belgium or Iran.
While they haven’t been the most impressive throughout the group, Belgium possess world-class talent and former Matildas star Amy Harrison was happy to see the Socceroos avoid them after a dominant 5-1 win over New Zealand.
Egypt players after their crucial draw with Iran on Saturday. AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson
Iran, on the other hand, would have brought a tactical challenge for Tony Popovic to organise his team, making Egby the best option of the lot.
“Avoiding (Belgium) was probably for the best,” she told Stan Sport’s Added Time.
“Egypt, I actually fancy. They’ve obviously got Mo Salah and Omar Marmoush, excellent players that are world-class and can make something out of nothing … but we had Argentina four years ago and nearly came up with something.
“Who’s not to say we can’t do something special against Egypt? It’s such an exciting tie. As a player, if you’re supporting Liverpool and you’re playing against Mo Salah – unreal. I’m super excited about it.”
The match between Egypt and Australia will take place on Saturday, July 4 (AEST).