Big Match Breakdown: Group A: Russia v Egypt

Odds and preview ahead of World Cup tie  

The second round of World Cup group stage matches gets underway this evening when Russia take on Egypt.

Victory for the tournament hosts could see them through to the round-of-16, while Egypt need three points to retain any chance of qualification.

It’s all set up for an intriguing clash at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg. And the Coral News Team have previewed the game with a Big Match Breakdown…

Head-to-Head and Form

This will be the first ever meeting between the two sides. So it’s the form which could provide the indicator as to the outcome of this match.

Russia kicked things off with a 5-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in the opening match to bring a run of seven matches without victory to a close. Egypt were downed 1-0 by Uruguay and remain winless in all five previous World Cup matches.

Likely XIs

The hosts look set to be without Alan Dzagoev after the midfielder picked up a hamstring injury in the first match. That should mean a first start of the tournament for Denis Cheryshev, who impressed off the bench against the Saudis. Aleksandr Golovin will move to a more central role in the 4-2-3-1 as a result.

Mohamed Salah missed the opening match for The Pharaohs but is expected to return in time for this one. He’s set to replace Amr Warda in what should be the only change for Egypt.

Key Battles

Liverpool ace Salah could hold the key to this match. If he’s back to full fitness, he’ll cause the Russians serious problems. They looked defensively suspect against the Saudis and will face much sterner questions against Egypt.