Russia vs Egypt | Betting Tips & Prediction
The second round of 2018 World Cup group matches will start on Tuesday night as Russia play Egypt in Group A. This will be the first of the second round of games and is a huge match for both teams as they aim to reach of the Round of 16.
Russia will have the backing of the home fans as the host nation and will be looking to use that to their advantage. This is the first time Egypt have played at a World Cup since 1990 and they are aiming to make the second round for the first time in their history.
Russia Form
Russia come into this match full of confidence following their comfortable 5-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Group A. The game could not have gone any better for the hosts, who came into the tournament under pressure following some bad results and performances.
However, this was Russia’s first competitive game since the 2016 European Championship and they delivered the goods in-front of their own supporters. This match will be a tougher test, as Egypt are sure to be superior to Saudi Arabia in every department and will provide a better indication of where the Russian team are in terms of quality.
Egypt Form
Egypt suffered late heat break against Uruguay as they conceded an 89th minute goal to lose the game 1-0. The South American’s were the better team throughout the 90 minutes and could have scored two or three goals but having kept them at bay for so long, the late goal clearly hurt the Egyptian players.
Egypt must put that defeat behind them as they look to pick up their first points of the tournament and know at least a draw is a must in this match if they want to reach the Round of 16. However, Egypt have never progressed beyond the first round at the World Cup or won a game at the tournament. Anything less than a win will leave them dangerously close to elimination heading into their final match.
Russia vs Egypt Team News
Russia are monitoring the fitness of Alan Dzagoev ahead of this game having been forced off with a hamstring injury against Saudi Arabia. Despite the blow of Dzagoev’s injury, Russia can call upon Denis Cheryshev, who performed superbly off the bench in the opening game of the tournament. The rest of the team should be unchanged.
Egypt are hopeful Mohamed Salah will be fit to start the match. The Liverpool forward did not play against Uruguay due to the shoulder injury suffered in the Champions League final against Real Madrid. Salah’s return to the team is expected to be the only change to the Egyptian XI from their first match.
Top Russia vs Egypt Betting Tips
Egypt looked like a team who will struggle to score many goals at the 2018 World Cup, especially with Salah struggling for full fitness. They have seen under 2.5 goals in 5 of their last 6 World Cup matches and under 2.5 goals is 4/7 with Ladbrokes.
Russia come into this match knowing a win should be good enough to see them progress and they will believe they can take maximum points. However, Egypt will be a much stronger team than Saudi Arabia and the verdict remains out on Russia following their win in that game. It would not be a surprise to see this match end level and the draw is 11/5 with William Hill.
Egypt will be keen to score their first goal of the tournament and the 1-1 final score is available at 5/1 with Ladbrokes.