Egypt – Uruguay Prediction & Picks (15.06.2018)

Next Friday afternoon, Egypt and Uruguay will also start their World Cup, when both countries face each other in the Ekaterinburg Arena in Ekaterinburg. Uruguay relies on the qualities of the life-threatening attack duo Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, while Egypt hopes that star Mohamed Salah will be fit in time.

Egypt:

With seven titles, Egypt may call itself the record champion of Africa, but outside of its own continent, the country of the pyramids has not yet shown much enthusiasm. The Pharaohs only made their appearance two times earlier on a World Cup final round, in 1934 and 1990. The Egyptian football fans must have been patient for a long time, but this summer their idols are finally back again.

The fact that Egypt is finally present at a World Cup after 28 years is mainly due to absolute star Mohamed Salah. The attacker had 44 goals in 52 matches a top season at his club Liverpool and was also a deciding factor on behalf of his country. Salah was directly involved in six of the eight Egyptian goals during the World Cup qualifying. This Egypt is in fact a one-man team. That is not bad in itself, as long as that player is fit and in shape. Salah still suffers from the aftermath of the judo-like arm clamp of Sergio Ramos in the 3-1 lost Champions League final of May 26 against Real Madrid and is currently running a race against time to get fit in time. Salah himself is optimistic, but team doctor Mohamed Abou al-Ela fears that he will miss the first group match: “He is still in pain. Normally, three weeks are involved in such an injury. ‘ So it seems that the Egyptians have to face Uruguay without their star player. Or would national coach Hector Cuper want to use him as a secret weapon?

Uruguay:

Uruguay is a favorite for group profit and is seen by some as an outsider for World Cup winnings. I think that chance is small. Uruguay has a world-class attack with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, but the country is much less strong in other lines and in width than countries like France, Germany, Spain and Brazil. However, this does not detract from the fact that La Celeste could get very far with a bit of luck.

Unlike Egypt, Uruguay has no personnel problems. National coach Oscar Tabarez has his entire selection, which actually has no weak spots. In the past, the midfield was often a bit stark against the excellent vanguard and defense, but that has been a thing of the past since the rise of players like Nahitan Nandez, Matias Vecino and Rodrigo Betancur. The luxury problem of Tabarez in the midfield is even so great that he should probably put Lucas Torreira, who is round about with Arsenal, on the bench. So it looks good for Uruguay, which must of course be wary of the stiff Egypt.