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Russia vs Egypt Group A World Cup Picks & Predictions 6/19/2018


by - 6/6/2018

Igor Akinfeev of Russia

$60 in Free Picks

World Cup Group A

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Saint Petersburg Stadium

Russia will take on Egypt at Saint Petersburg Stadium in a Group A matchup on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. The opening line for this World Cup matchup has Russia at -245 and Egypt at +575. The total opened at 2.5. This will be the very first time that these two nations will face each other, which makes it an even more interesting fixture. Russia has the advantage of being the host nation, but Egypt might have slightly more talent up front, particularly in superstar Mohamed Salah. Many people see this matchup as the one that will determine who will finish second place in Group A and join Uruguay in the round of 16.

Both teams should be able to get points against Saudi Arabia, so there's a pretty good chance that this game will determine who goes through. Even though the current odds say that this should be a low-scoring affair, this is actually a matchup of two good offenses against two below-average defenses. Russia usually scores even in losing efforts, and Egypt happens to have the man who just broke the English Premier League record for goals scored in a season. Of course, knowing that, both teams might take a more conservative approach to this game to try to grab a later winner.

Russia

Obviously the biggest advantage for Russia here is the fact that they will have a loud crowd rooting them on. They don't have an extremely talented team, but host nations have shown in the past that the extra motivation of having the fans on your side can be a huge factor in these games. It can raise their adrenaline levels extremely high and can be the difference between a one-goal win and a one-goal loss. The one area where Russia seems to be a bit better than Egypt is in the midfield.

Aleksandr Golovin is a player that Arsenal and other big teams will be watching at the World Cup and he will look to use his highly-rated dribbling skills and passing abilities to break the Egyptian defense down. Young attacking midfielder Aleksei Miranchuk is another pacey dribbler who won't be shy about driving directly at the defense; expect at least a couple of goals from him in this tournament. Though not as great as he once was, keeper Igor Akinfeev still has the talent to keep his team in games with high-value saves. He's also the captain of this team, so the team will be relying on him to lead from the back.

Egypt

What a lot of people like about Egypt is that they have a ton of chemistry, allowing them to keep games close regardless of who they are facing. They don't have any standout defenders besides center back Ahmed Hegazy, but everyone is willing to get back and help the team defend. This will allow them to perhaps pull off some tight wins that no one expected them to. The real key to their chances comes down to the play of star forward Mo Salah. He's coming off of an injury, so it will be interesting to see if he is at 100 percent for this game. If he is, he will get his chances even if Russia marks him throughout the match.

Key Russia Injuries

No key injuries to report

Key Egypt Injuries

No key injuries to report

Who will win tonight's Russia/Egypt World Cup game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Egypt +575

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