Our football match prediction:
Egypt
Match Time & Date:
15/06/2018
13:00 GMT
Prediction: 0-1
Uruguay
Egypt will be aiming to bounce back from a 3-0 defeat to Belgium in their last warm-up game when they take on Uruguay at Ekaterinburg Arena in their 2018 FIFA World Cup opener. The Pharaohs are on a six-game winless run ahead of Friday’s football match, but it has to be noted that key player Mohamed Salah should recover in time to face La Celeste. The Uruguayans, on the other hand, are seen as favourites to finish the process in top position in Group A, but they will have to prove their worth on the field. As always, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani will be the men to watch in Oscar Tabarez’s team and the opposition defenders should have the duo at bay. Uruguay are more of a team in our opinion, which is the main reason why we predict the South Americans will pick up all three points from the opener.
Highlighted Player (Mahmoud Hassan):
Mahmoud Hassan is a product of Al Ahly’s youth school. The midfielder, who was born in Kafr el-Sheikh on 1 October, 1994, scored seven goals in 58 league appearances for Al Ahly between 2012 and 2016 and he spent the 2015/2016 season on loan at Anderlecht. The club chiefs decided to sign a permanent deal with the Egyptian footballer and it has to be noted that he made his official debut for the Belgian giants on 27 December against Westerlo. The Anderlecht midfielder, who is commonly known as “Trezeguet”, won the CAF Champions League trophy with Al Ahly on two occasions (2012, 2013) and he clinched the Afirca U20 Cup of Nations in 2013 with Egypt. “Trezeguet” has 19 caps for Egypt U20 team and he made his debut for the first team on 30 August, 2014 in a 1-0 win over Kenya. He started the game, but he was substituted by Ahmed Fathy 20 minutes before the end. Mahmoud Hassan has a contract with Anderlecht which expires on 30 June, 2019.
Highlighted Team (Uruguay):
La Celeste are one of the most successful South American nations. Uruguay are frequently the champions of the continent having most recently won the tournament in 2011. They have won the Copa America a record 15 times including the first ever edition of the competition in 1916, while the team has also won FIFA World Cup in two occasions including the inaugural competition in 1930 when they defeated Argentina 4-2 in the final as hosts. Their second World Cup title came in 1950 when Uruguay and Brazil played a legendary match which recorded a higher attendance than any other football match in the history of the game. Uruguay is the smallest country in the world to have won a World Cup by population, but La Celeste are proud of their football heritage which yielded some of the best footballers in the world over the course of history. Most notable player of the current selection is Barcelona striker Luis Suarez, who is also the team’s top scorer with 45 goals to his name.
