Egypt's national team coach Hossam Hassan confirmed that the Pharaohs' captain Mohamed Salah has recovered from his injury and is ready to face Australia in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup on Friday evening in Dallas.
Mohamed Salah had suffered a hamstring strain during the (1-1) group stage match against Iran.
Hossam Hassan said at the press conference: "Salah is ready for the match, and we have a distinguished medical team that dealt with the injured professionally."
He explained that he knows the strengths and weaknesses of the Australian team very well, and is able to deal with different circumstances.
The Egyptian coach expressed his respect for the Australian team, which he described as strong, but stressed: "We have studied them well, we know their strengths, especially the physical strength and height of their players, and we are capable of dealing with all circumstances."
He added that he had worked with his players over the past few days to address the defensive problems that emerged during the group stage: "Some defensive errors cost us goals during the group stage, and we are always working to address these gaps. I have great confidence in all the players, and I am not worried about the absences. All the players will get their chance, and there is no difference between a starting player and a substitute."
The Egyptian national team is participating in the knockout stages for the first time in its history, after exiting the tournament from the group stage in the 1990 and 2018 editions.
