Argentina
Egypt
Round of 16 · Tuesday 7 July, 17:00 BST · Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Argentina needed extra time and a deflected header from Cristian Romero to see off Cape Verde 3-2 in the last 32, twice surrendering the lead before a 111th-minute own goal finally settled it. Egypt got here the hard way too, needing penalties to beat Australia after a 1-1 draw, and now stand one win away from a first World Cup quarterfinal in their history. Both sides played 120 minutes on Friday, so fatigue is as much a talking point here as anything on the team sheet.
Argentina — La Albiceleste
The predicted XI has Emiliano Martinez in goal behind a back four of Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez and Nicolas Tagliafico, with Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and Rodrigo De Paul across a flat midfield four, and Lionel Messi partnering Julian Alvarez up front in a 4-4-2. Some reports had tipped Facundo Medina to continue at left-back with Lautaro Martinez or Thiago Almada alongside Messi instead, but Medina picked up cramp late against Cape Verde and Tagliafico looks the safer call, so treat the forward pairing as the one detail still worth confirming closer to kickoff.
Messi is chasing history again. His penalty-box header against Cape Verde took him to seven goals this tournament, making him the first player to reach seven at two separate World Cups, a feat Kylian Mbappe matched a few hours later against Paraguay. One more goal would draw Messi level with Guillermo Stabile's all-time Argentina record of eight in a single edition, and would also make him only the sixth player ever to score in his country's first five games at a World Cup. Argentina have scored at least twice in ten straight World Cup matches and could equal Uruguay's run of eleven in a row, set between 1930 and 1954, if the goals keep coming here.
Egypt — the Pharaohs
The predicted lineup keeps Mostafa Shobeir in goal behind a back four of Karim Hafez, Rami Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim and Mohamed Hany, with Marwan Attia and Hamdy Fathy screening in front of them. Mostafa Ziko, Emam Ashour and Mohamed Salah support Omar Marmoush in a 4-2-3-1. Hafez was withdrawn late against Australia and there had been some question over his fitness, and other outlets had pencilled in a recalled Mohannad Lasheen alongside Marwan Ateya in the double pivot instead, but the version here keeps the same pairing that started the shootout win.
Salah's tournament has been extraordinary given he arrived as a free agent after leaving Liverpool in May. He has created 16 chances so far, the joint-highest tally in the competition, and two more would draw him level with Kevin-Prince Boateng's record for an African player at a single World Cup. He also converted a Panenka in the shootout against Australia. Egypt have now scored and conceded in six straight World Cup matches, level with Ghana's run from 2010 to 2022, and a win here would make them only the fifth African nation ever to reach a World Cup quarterfinal, after Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, Ghana in 2010 and Morocco, who have already done it twice, including this summer.
Predicted Lineups
Key Battle
Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush vs Argentina's back four. Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez are top-class centre-backs on a normal day, but both had uneasy moments against a Cape Verde side ranked 67th in the world. Salah and Marmoush in transition, with room to run at that same back line, are the sharpest attacking pairing Egypt have ever brought to a World Cup, and the clearest route to an upset.
Prediction
The Opta supercomputer gives Argentina a 69.1% chance of winning in 90 minutes, with Egypt on 12.3% and a draw, which would mean extra time again, on 18.5%. Argentina's class across the squad should tell in the end, and Messi extending his scoring streak feels overdue given the history on the line. But this Egypt attack is a different proposition to Cape Verde's, and Emiliano Martinez may have to be Argentina's best player again for the second knockout game running to keep it that way.
Argentina 2-0 Egypt — Messi, Alvarez
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