FIFA World Cup 2018: Egypt Vs Uruguay
Going into this summers World Cup in Russia there was a sense that Uruguay had the potential to be a real dark horse for the tournament. They already had a rock solid defensive unit and two genuinely world class strikers in Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani and in the last 12 months, coach Oscar Washington Tabarez had moved to regenerate the midfield of the squad with the introduction of young talents like Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Torreira, now the Uruguayan squad has a genuine balance and quality throughout the side.
There is also a sense of intrigue around Egypt this summer with the superb Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah expected to be one of the key players this summer. This was before the forward suffered a shoulder injury during the UEFA Champions League final, whilst he is with the squad at the World Cup, there are still questions over his fitness.
With hosts Russia having dismantled Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the opening match of the tournament, the pressure was immediately on these two teams to get off to a strong start.
Team News
The first thing of note when the team news was released was that Mohamed Salah would start the game from the bench. Amr Warda started from the right-hand side for Egypt in place of Salah but he is a far less effective threat in the final third, looking to hold the width as opposed to moving inside to link in with the forward.
Uruguay started in their expected 4-4-2 structure although the two wide midfielders Nandez and De Arrascaeta are more accustomed to playing inside as opposed to stretching the width of the field. The Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur played in the centre of the midfield and would be expected to link the midfield and attack for the South American side.
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