2018 World Cup Betting Preview & Pick: Russia vs. Egypt.

2018 World Cup Betting Preview & Pick: Russia vs. Egypt

Written by on June 18, 2018

Every team will have played one 2018 World Cup match by the time Russia and Egypt take the pitch Tuesday as they will become the first teams to play the second game in this tournament. The host country had one of the most impressive Game 1 wins and is a short 2018 World Cup Betting favorite against the Egyptians, who lost against Uruguay in their opener.

At MyBookie Sportsbook news page, you can find the latest about Group A’s action and everything you need to know for a winning streak during the 2018 World Cup.

Russia vs. Egypt 2018 World Cup Betting Preview & Pick

  • When: Tuesday, 2 PM ET
  • Where: Saint Petersburg Stadium, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • TV/Stream: Fox / Fox Sports Go
  • 2018 World Cup Betting Odds: Russia +116 / Egypt +280 / Draw+200 (Total at 2 goals)

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Why Bet on Russia?

  • Confederation: UEFA
  • Head coach: Stanislav Cherchesov
  • Captain: Igor Akinfeev
  • FIFA Ranking: 70
Well, home-field advantage certainly helps. The Russians looked great in their opener, stomping Saudi Arabia 5-0. Yuri Gazinsky put Russia ahead with a header in the 12th minute and substitute Denis Cheryshev added two goals while Artyom Dzyuba and Alexander Golovin were also on the scoresheet. Sergei Ignashevich became the oldest player to ever appear in a World Cup match for Russia/USSR (38 years & 335 days old).

No host team has ever lost a World Cup opening match. The 5-0 result was the biggest victory by a host nation in the opening game in 84 years. Russia scored more than twice the amount of goals in this game (5) than they did in the entire 2014 World Cup finals over three games (2). A total of 20 of the previous 21 host teams progressed through the group stage.

Looking relaxed after taking a congratulatory phone call from President Vladimir Putin, who watched in delight in the stands, Coach Stanislav Cherchesov stressed that Russia, the lowest-ranked team in the competition, have to do more than crush the second weakest team in the field to rid themselves of the under-achiever label.

The news wasn’t all good from that match as Alan Dzagoev has ruled himself out of Russia’s two remaining World Cup Group A games after injuring his hamstring against Saudi Arabia. The CSKA Moscow midfielder pulled up sharply during the first half of the match. He was replaced by Cheryshev. Russia was up 1-0 and playing fine when Dzagoev was forced out of the match, but the enforced tactical switch is what allowed the hosts to really dominate.

“It is difficult to say how long it will take, medics will monitor the improvement,” Dzagoev said. “Hope I still have a chance to play. I hope to God we will qualify for the playoffs, and I will be able to play. There is still some hope left.”

The last time Russia played a FIFA tournament match at Saint Petersburg, they came away with a 2-0 victory over New Zealand in their 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup opener.

Projected Line-Up

  • 1-I. Akinfeev
  • 4-S. Ignashevich
  • 2-M. Fernandes
  • 3-I. Kutepov
  • 18-Y. Zhirkov
  • 19-A. Samedov
  • 9-A. Dzagoev
  • 8-Y. Gazinskiy
  • 11-R. Zobnin
  • 17-A. Golovin
  • 10-F. Smolov

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Why Bet on Egypt?

  • Confederation: CAF
  • Head coach: Héctor Cúper
  • Captain: Essam El Hadary
  • FIFA Ranking: 45
Because superstar Mo Salah will play after missing his country’s opening 1-0 loss to Uruguay. A win against Russia on Tuesday now seems essential for Hector Cuper’s side, for whom Salah was deemed unfit to play and did not emerge from the bench vs. Uruguay. Despite holding their own for much of the encounter, Egypt were undone in the 89th minute when Jose Gimenez headed past the impressive Mohamed El Shenawy.

Salah is the man who provides their X factor and without him the sense was that Cuper would have been more than happy to frustrate Uruguay, hold on for a point and bank on getting the job done against Russia and Saudi Arabia with his star man in better health. Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas Issa and the Egyptian Football Association have confirmed that Salah will play Tuesday. The EFA reported on Sunday that Salah participated in training in full, although full-back Ahmed Fathy did withdraw from the session early in slight discomfort.

Salah left the field in tears after sustaining a shoulder ligament injury while playing for Liverpool in last month’s Champions League final loss to Real Madrid. Since then, Egypt’s fans have been tortured by the possibility that their first appearance in the World Cup finals for 28 years could be ruined by the loss of their biggest star, who netted 44 goals for Liverpool in his first season at Anfield.

Mo Salah is not enough for Egypt to be considered the 2018 World Cup Betting favorite against Russia.

Speaking after the loss to Uruguay, Cuper told journalists that he wanted to avoid any risks with his side’s star man in their opener: “Mo Salah is an extremely important player for us, nobody can deny that, but you need to have a good team, and we have a good team.”

No fewer than four members of the Egyptian squad for Russia 2018 got onto the scoresheet at the U-20 FIFA World Cup in Colombia in 2011, where Egypt matched it with the best, including eventual champions Brazil. So this country can play at the highest level.

Here’s what Russian midfielder Anton Miranchuk had to say about this match and Salah: “Egypt is a very organized team. In a way, they look like Saudi Arabia but much stronger. But every team has its flaws. We try to find theirs to break through their defense. Looks like Salah will play against us because they need points. He looked so eager to play when he was sitting on the bench during the Uruguay game. Of course, he has a big influence on Egypt but the team is still 11 players, not one. Let’s see what Salah can do against us.”

Projected Line-Up

  • 23-Mohamed El Shenawy
  • 7-Ahmed Fathy
  • 13-Mohamed Abdul Shafy
  • 6-Ahmed Hegazi
  • 2-Ali Gabr
  • 19-Abdalla El Said
  • 8-Tarek Hamed
  • 17-Mohamed Elneny
  • 10-Mohamed Salah
  • 22-Amr Warda
  • 9-Marwan Mohsen

Expert Score Prediction

Egypt 2 – Russia 2

For additional news, updates and tips surrounding the 2018 World Cup Odds and action, be sure to follow our FIFA World Cup endless World Cup 2018 Previews, Group Analysis, Game Match Ups and Betting Predictions. The MyBookie team has already created a FIFA World Cup printable bracket for you to keep track of your predictions and 2018 World Cup Odds.