Egypt's Mohamed Salah fit but not certain to start World Cup knockout against Australia
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan says Mohamed Salah is available but may not start Friday's World Cup round-of-32 match against Australia in Dallas, as the forward continues his recovery from a hamstring strain sustained in the group stage.
Injury timeline
Salah picked up the hamstring strain in Egypt's 1-1 draw with Iran on June 26, asking to be substituted in the 57th minute. Scans confirmed the injury, and the Egyptian federation said he began treatment immediately. He returned to partial training on Wednesday, July 1, and was seen moving freely in a session on Thursday, though he had not been fully reintegrated into collective drills until the day before the press conference.
- Salah substituted in 57th minute of Iran match with hamstring strain.
- Salah returns to partial training with Egypt squad.
- Coach Hossam Hassan confirms Salah is fit but uncertain to start against Australia.
- Egypt faces Australia in World Cup round of 32 at Dallas Stadium.
Coach's stance
Hassan confirmed Salah's availability during a press conference in Arlington, Texas, but was guarded about his role. "I am not going to run any risks unless I am 100 percent sure he is raring and ready to go," he said. The coach added that he was "planning to have him in the match, whether within the starting lineup or in a later stage."
We look forward to him playing tomorrow, but we're not sure if he's going to be in the starting lineup.
Hassan praised the 34-year-old, calling him one of the best players globally and noting Salah had surpassed expectations at the tournament with a more attacking style. Salah has one goal and two assists from the group phase and is one behind Hassan as Egypt's all-time leading scorer with 68 international goals.
Physical test and comparisons
Asked how Egypt would handle an Australian side captained by 1.98-metre defender Harry Souttar, Hassan dismissed height concerns. He referenced Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi as examples that stature is not decisive, saying, "It's not about tall or short. We're not playing rugby here, we're playing football." He added that Egypt faced similar physical teams such as Belgium and Iran in the group stage.
Match context
The match at Dallas Stadium is Egypt's first World Cup knockout appearance. Australia reached the last 32 for a second straight tournament. Both nations have never won a World Cup elimination match. Egypt is without left-back Ahmed Fattouh, who tore his hamstring against Iran, while centre-back Mohamed Abdelmonem is expected to play despite an ankle issue. Australia is missing winger Mat Leckie and fullback Jacob Italiano, with coach Tony Popovic likely to field Jordy Bos at right back again.
The winner will face the winner of Argentina versus Cape Verde in the next round.
