Australia vs. Egypt: Salah remains doubtful
After securing their first-ever FIFA World Cup victory and a historic qualification for the knockout stage, Egypt and Mohamed Salah are set to face an Australian side widely considered within their reach.
However, the Liverpool star remains doubtful after suffering a thigh muscle injury during Egypt’s 1-1 draw with Iran. He only returned to full team training on Wednesday, leaving his availability in question.
With Morocco being the only African team to have already reached the quarterfinals and several other African sides having suffered heartbreaking late eliminations, Egypt stands as one of the continent’s last remaining hopes at this stage of the competition.
Argentina vs. Cape Verde: David versus Goliath
Ranked 64th in the FIFA rankings and appearing in their first-ever FIFA World Cup, Cape Verde will face the biggest match in their history against defending champions Argentina, led by Lionel Messi.
Still going strong, “La Pulga” is currently the tournament’s joint-top scorer with six goals and will undoubtedly aim to move ahead of Kylian Mbappé. Argentina enjoyed a flawless group stage, beating Algeria 3-0, Austria 2-0, and Jordan 3-1.
Cape Verde, one of the biggest surprises of the African qualifiers, impressed by finishing the group stage unbeaten with three draws: 0-0 against Spain, 0-0 against Saudi Arabia, and 2-2 against Uruguay, advancing from what had appeared to be a very difficult group.
Although Argentina enters the match as the clear favorite, Germany’s elimination by Paraguay serves as a reminder that anything can happen in the knockout stages.
Colombia vs. Ghana: An enticing matchup
The day’s final match, kicking off late at night, will see Ghana take on Colombia. The South Americans made a strong statement by finishing top of their group ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, whom they held to a 0-0 draw.
Ghana, however, has also shown it can compete with football’s heavyweights, drawing 0-0 with England and narrowly losing 2-1 to Croatia.
The Black Stars are targeting a third qualification for the quarterfinals and their first knockout-stage victory over a South American nation. They previously lost to Brazil in 2006 (3-0) and Uruguay in 2010 (1-1, with Uruguay winning 4-2 on penalties). Colombia, meanwhile, also lost its only previous knockout-stage match against an African team, falling to Roger Milla’s Cameroon in 1990.
Friday’s schedule:
- Australia vs. Egypt – 7 p.m. (Moroccan time), AT&T Stadium, Dallas.
- Argentina vs. Cape Verde – 11 p.m. (Moroccan time), Hard Rock Stadium, Miami.
- Colombia vs. Ghana – 2:30 a.m. (Saturday, Moroccan time), Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City.
