Saudi Arabia v Egypt Match Preview
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MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- This is the first encounter between Saudi Arabia and Egypt at a tournament since the 1999 Confederations Cup – the Saudis won 5-1 on that occasion.
- Defeat for either Saudi Arabia or Egypt in this game would see them be the first team to lose all three group games at a World Cup since Honduras in 2014.
Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia are yet to score a goal at the 2018 World Cup – there have only been 11 previous occasions of teams failing to score at a World Cup finals tournament in 3+ games, with Honduras and Algeria the last teams to do this in 2010.
- Saudi Arabia are now winless in their last 12 World Cup matches (W0, D2, L10) and they have lost their last four games in the competition without scoring a single goal.
- Saudi Arabia have faced an African team in each of their four previous World Cup campaigns, never facing the same nation twice (W1, D2, L1). That one victory came against Morocco in 1994 – their first ever win at a World Cup finals.
Egypt
- This will be Egypt’s first ever World Cup match against an Asian nation and the third different continent they’ve faced after Europe and South America.
- Each of the last eight goals Egypt have conceded in the World Cup have come in the second half of matches.
- Egypt haven’t won any of their six World Cup matches (W0, D2, L4). The only nation to play more games in the competition without ever recording a victory are Honduras (nine games).
- Since joining Liverpool in July 2017, Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah has scored 49 goals in 57 appearances for club and country in all competitions.
- Salah scored with his only shot on target in a World Cup match in their defeat against Russia last time out.
Saudi Arabia and Egypt will endeavour to avoid finishing last in Group A as they bow out of the World Cup on Monday.
While the Saudis are yet to score in the tournament, they delivered a much improved performance in their narrow 1-0 defeat by Uruguay and will be hoping to end the tournament with a flourish and their first victory since Saeed Al-Owairan’s wonder strike against Belgium at the 1994 tournament in the USA.
Egypt are looking to win a World Cup match for the first time in their history.
In their first World Cup since 1990, they had been tipped to advance into the knockout rounds after looking strong in the qualifiers.
But star forward Mohamed Salah missed their opening defeat by Uruguay after a shoulder injury and looked short of fitness in their loss to Russia.
The North African side will finish above the Saudis if they draw because of their goal difference.
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