The concept of a 48-team World Cup means groups of death are mostly a thing of the past but as the group stage nears its conclusion, one has at least earned the title of the group of unpredictability – Group G, where Egypt are in pole position to beat Belgium for top spot.
A series of draws before Egypt's 3-1 win over New Zealand, their first-ever World Cup victory, means the Pharaohs are atop the group with four points while Belgium and Iran are stuck with two and New Zealand have one. It means there are several permutations on the table in Friday's matches but an exciting prospect awaits Egypt. Not only might they make their first knockout run since 1934, they could do so as the group winners and with a more favorable round of 32 match awaiting them.
They will like their chances, in large part because they have made their opportunities count. Their win over New Zealand exemplified the approach but Egypt have not been afraid to lean into their attacking tendencies in their opening games of the World Cup thus far. They have taken a combined 33 shots in their first two games, just under half of them in their 1-1 draw against Belgium. They have overperformed their expected goals tally of 2.9 somewhat with four goals though having Mohamed Salah on the pitch has helped. In a World Cup defined by star power, the UEFA Champions League winner has lived up to the billing and enters the Group G finale with a goal and two assists so far this summer. He is not merely just on the pitch for end product – against New Zealand, when he notched a goal and an assist, he led the team in shots and chances created with five each, and in touches in the opposition area with 13.
He earned his own little slice of history in the process, one that fits the star quality he has boasted for years. He is now the Pharaohs' all-time leading goalscorer at the World Cup with three and can extend that tally, at least two more games potentially awaiting Egypt. It was an appropriate way to mark a historic day for the team, who could make a historic run.
"It's incredible," he said after their win over New Zealand I don't know how to express it in a word but it's a great achievement for all the players, for the subs, so hopefully we can carry on like this. In the years to come, we will remember this as one of the best achievements in our history, so we just have to enjoy today, enjoy tomorrow, then focus on the game after. It seemed like we were playing in Egypt [today]. All the fans were wearing red and we felt like we were playing at home. It's a great vibe. Everybody was happy to play this kind of game. We have four points now, so we're top in the group. The next game is very important."
Egypt, though, will now play under a new type of pressure on Friday against Iran, one that will perhaps offer clues on how deep a run they might make – and if they might just be on a collision course to face the U.S. men's national team in the round of 16, where both teams would chase a transformative but elusive quarterfinal berth.
How to watch Egypt vs. Iran
Date: Friday, June 26 | Time: 11 p.m. ET Location: Lumen Field -- Seattle, Washington TV: FS1 (Eng), Universo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free) Odds: Egypt +144; Draw +225; Iran +285
Egypt vs. Iran predicted starting lineups
Egypt: Mohamed El Shenawy; Mohamed Hany, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Rami Rabia, Ahmed Fatouh; Marwan Attia, Emam Ashour; Zizo, Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush; Mostafa Mohamed.
Iran: Alireza Beiranvand, Milad Mohammadi, Ali Nemati. Shoja Khalilzadeh, Saleh Hardani, Arya Yousefi, Saeid Ezatikahi, Saman Ghoddos, Mehdi Ghayedi, Mehdi Taremi, Ali Alipour.
Keep up with the World Cup standings here
Egypt vs. Iran pick, prediction
Egypt may start as slight favourites, but this won't be an easy test against an Iranian side that has looked solid at both ends of the pitch, defending well while posing a real threat going forward. Pick: Egypt 2, Iran 1.
Check out our World Cup expert predictions.
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