Preview: Egypt prepare to face Australia in World Cup round of 32 amid selection worries | OneFootball

Egypt target a first ever round of 16 appearance at the World Cup as they prepare to face Australia in their round of 32 clash at the Dallas Stadium.

The Pharaohs have made history already this tournament, reaching the knockout stages for the first time at a World Cup, beating New Zealand 3-1 in their second game of Group G.

They also drew two out of three of their matches against Iran and Belgium, who mounted a miraculous comeback to beat Senegal 3-2 and qualify for the last 16 on Wednesday.

Australia – who have made the round of 16 twice, in 2006 and 2022 – placed second in Group D, winning 2-0 against now-eliminated Türkiye but suffering a 2-0 loss to group leaders and co-hosts USA.

Their final game of the group stage against Paraguay, who recently kicked Germany out of the tournament in their first knockout match, saw the teams draw 0-0, but the point was enough to ultimately saw them through.

The two sides have met twice, with the most recent contest in 2010 being the most memorable occasions of match fixing in international football.

An international friendly in Cairo ended in a 3-0 victory for Egypt after a highly controversial late penalty was awarded to the hosts.

Four years later, a convicted match-fixer claimed that his syndicate had successfully rigged the game to guarantee three goals were scored, winning thousands of dollars in the process.

The senior national teams have not faced each other since then.

Egypt captain and 2024/25 Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year Mohamed Salah was forced off the pitch in the 57th minute against Iran in the last group match of the tournament, having suffered a hamstring strain.

The team remains optimistic that Salah will take to the pitch against the Socceroos.

Nice centre-back Mohamed Abdelmonem is also currently being monitored for an ankle injury after suffering a blow in the match against Iran. Abdelmonem also recently recovered from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

Fellow defender Ahmed Fattouh is also expected to miss the match, with a statement from the Egyptian Football Association saying “he is suffering from a hamstring tear, making it difficult for him to recover in time for the round of 32 match”.

Mohanad Lasheen is suspended from the match after racking up two yellow cards throughout the group stage.

Australia, who have never won a knockout game, have been whittled down to a 24-man team after Jacob Italiano and Matthew Leckie have sustained injuries and have been ruled out of the tournament.

Aside from this, they head into their first knockout game with no new injuries, allowing manager Tony Popovic to have the strongest squad possible to face the Pharaohs.

If present and fit, Salah is set to be the driving force behind Egypt’s attacking lineup.

Connor Metcalfe and Nestory Irankunda are the only two Australian players to score so far, both in their first Group D match of this tournament.

Irankunda, who won the Superior Player of the Match against Türkiye, will be looking to do so once again.

Australia’s newly appointed captain, Harry Souttar, is one reason why the Socceroos have only conceded two goals so far this tournament, with his command of the backline leading the team to success.

The match kicks off at 19:00 (BST) on Friday 3rd July, and is available to watch live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer and listen to on BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT.

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