Egypt vs. Uruguay
Much of the pre-match focus has been on the fitness of Egypt star Mohamed Salah - but Uruguay will have their own superstar striker aiming to impress.
After recovering from a shoulder injury, Liverpool forward Salah looks set to play in the group A clash at the Ekaterinburg Arena, where he’ll be up against another Anfield fans’ favourite, former Red Luis Suarez.
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The Barcelona star will make his first World Cup appearance, playing up front for Uruguay with PSG’s Edinson Cavani, since he was found guilty of biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini four years ago.
Suarez was sent home and banned for four months following the incident, says the Daily Mail, and heads to Russia knowing that this World Cup “could be his last chance to be remembered for the right reasons”. With 50 goals in 95 games for Uruguay, Suarez will “carry the hopes of a nation”, the newspaper adds.
After Russia beat Saudi Arabia 5-0 in yesterday’s World Cup opening match, both Uruguay and Egypt will be aiming to start their group A campaign with a victory.
The match kicks off at 1pm (UK time) and is being screened live on BBC One.
Egypt vs. Uruguay: predicted starting XIs
The Sun predicts that Egypt will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation while Uruguay will go for 4-4-2.
- Egypt: Elshenewy; Fathi, Gabr, Hegazi, Abdel Shafi; Hamed, Elneny; Sobhi, Said, Warda; Salah
- Uruguay: Muslera; Varela, Gimenez, Godin, Caceres; Nandez, Vecino, Bentancur, De Arrascaeta; Cavani, Suarez