Russia vs. Egypt
- When: Tuesday 19 June
- Kick-off time: 7pm
- Where: Saint Petersburg Stadium
- TV channel: live on BBC One
A late defeat against Uruguay broke Egyptian hearts in their opening match, but Pharaohs fans will be boosted by the news that star striker Mohamed Salah is set to start against Russia in St Petersburg.
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Salah sat out the Uruguay clash as he was recovering from a shoulder injury. The Egyptian Football Association told the BBC: “He was fit to play against Uruguay but the coach did not want to take the risk.”
The hosts opened their World Cup campaign with a thumping 5-0 win against Saudi Arabia. Despite the superb start and potential qualification to the knockout stages, goalkeeper and captain Igor Akinfeev isn’t getting over-excited. He said: “We only think of every next step. We don’t think what can be next. If we did, we could fall on the next barrier. We don’t think ahead and don’t want to do it.”
Team news
While Salah will be fit for Egypt, Russia striker Alan Dzagoev has been ruled out of the group stages after injuring his hamstring during the match against Saudi Arabia. All 22 other Russian players trained ahead of the Egypt clash.
Russia vs. Egypt predicted starting XIs
How the two teams could line up in St Petersburg, according to Fifa.com:
- Russia (4-3-2-1): Igor Akinfeev; Mario Fernandes, Ilya Kutepov, Sergei Ignashevich, Yuri Zhirkov; Roman Zobnin, Yury Gazinsky, Daler Kuziaev; Aleksandr Golovin, Denis Cheryshev; Fedor Smolov
- Egypt (4-4-2): Mohammed El Shenawy; Ali Gabr, Ahmed Hegazy, Ahmed Fathi, Mohammed Abdelshafy; Tarek Hamed, Mohammed El Neny, Mahmoud Trezeguet, Abdullah Al Said; Mohamed Salah, Marwan Mohsen
Group A results and fixtures
- Russia 5 Saudi Arabia 0
- Egypt 0 Uruguay 1
- 19 June: Russia vs. Egypt (7pm, BBC)
- 20 June: Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia (4pm, BBC)
- 25 June: Uruguay vs. Russia (3pm, ITV); Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt (3pm, ITV4)