World Cup 2018: Egypt vs. Uruguay Live Updates

Mohamed Salah’s shoulder is healthy enough for him to play, at least from the bench, so the prolific goal scorer could play a part for Egypt against former World Cup villain Luis Suarez and a strong team from Uruguay.

• Refresh here for live updates and analysis from Russia.

Egypt				Uruguay
	Group Stage

How to watch: In the U.S., Fox Sports 1 and Telemundo have the broadcast at 8 a.m. Eastern, but you can stream it here.

Andrew Keh: Egypt’s coach, Hector Cuper, said Thursday that it was “100 percent” that Salah would play, but he left the decision to the player. He is on the bench, and the sense is that he will get about 30 minutes as a substitute.

Uruguay is known for rugged defending, so it makes sense for Egypt and Cuper to take it carefully with Salah. Losing a star, as Russia did with Alan Dzagoev yesterday, could be a brutal blow to their hopes of advancing.

Egypt vs. Uruguay Top Story Lines

• Egypt’s lineup: 23. Elshenewy, 4. Gaber, 6. Hegazi, 7. Fathi, 8. Hamed, 9. Mohsen, 13. Abdelshafi, 17. Elneny, 19. Said, 21. Trezeguet, 22. Warda.

• Uruguay’s lineup: 1. Muslera, 2. Giménez, 3. Godín, 4. Varela, 6. Bentancur, 8. Nandez, 9. Suárez, 10. De Arrascaeta, 15. Vecino, 21. Cavani, 22. Cáceres.

• Egypt won three African championships in a row from 2006 to 2010, but had frustratingly failed to qualify for the World Cup since 1990. Now it is finally in the big show.

• Egypt is all about the goal-scoring forward Salah, who had an amazing season for Liverpool, winning the Premier League player of the year award. He led his team to the Champions League final but suffered a shoulder injury in that game, and his fitness is up in the air. For Game 1, he starts on the bench. How much and how well he plays will be the key factors in whether Egypt can advance at the World Cup.

• Uruguay’s biggest name is definitely Suarez, who has a knack for soccer, and for making big news at the World Cup. In 2010, he used his hand to block a potential game-winning goal by Ghana, drawing a red card and derision from many fans. In 2014, he one-upped himself, actually biting an opponent, drawing a lengthy ban. That didn’t stop Barcelona from signing him shortly afterward.

Could Suarez play the villain again this year? Or will he stick to scoring a boatload of goals?

• The other two teams in this group had conflicting fortunes in Game 1 on Thursday, to say the least. Russia’s big win put it in strong position to advance. Saudi Arabia lost its already slim chances on the wrong end of a 5-0 shellacking.

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