Egypt embarks on their first World Cup in 28 years when they begin play against Uruguay on June 15th.  This was a long and difficult road back to the world’s stage for both the Egyptian Football Association and the nation as a whole.  The team is led by a charismatic, rockstar of a forward to help lead the Pharaohs in a Group that Egypt has a decent chance to advance from.  Here are three players I am keeping an eye on as the Egyptian National Team hopes to advance out of the group stage for the first time in their nation’s history.

Mohamed Salah (25, Forward, Liverpool:) It was no surprise that despite injury, Mohamed Salah made the final 23 man Egypt roster for the 2018 World Cup.  The shoulder injury he picked up during the 2018 UEFA Champions League final was not as bad as it appeared out on the pitch and it does appear that Salah will see the field in Russia.  The bigger question is how much time will his health allow him to play? It seems unlikely that Salah will be able to suit up for Egypt’s opening match against Uruguay, as he did not practice with the team this week.  There is a strong belief that Salah will be fit for the June 19th showdown against Russia. Even Salah’s presence on the field will greatly help the Pharaohs. The threat of his pace and creativity should open up opportunities for other Egyptian attackers to take advantage of.  If Salah is physically able to play without issues from the injury, he should be a nightmare to deal with. Salah looked like the weight of the Premier League matches and Champions League were starting to weigh on him towards the end of the season and if he’s unencumbered by injury, he will be well rested to wreak havoc on opposing defenders.

Mohamed Elneny (Midfielder, 25, Arsenal:) The Arsenal midfielder will be coming back from his own injury, returning from an injured ankle suffered in April to help steady Egypt’s midfield in Russia.  Elneny and fellow deep holding midfielder, Tarek Hamed, will be counted on to help intercept attacks before they reach a somewhat fragile Egyptian backline. Elneny will also be tasked to be one of the catalysts to help push the ball forward and start attacks from his deep position defensively.  From all indications, it sounds like Elneny is fully fit and he will be relied on heavily to help secure Egypt defensively.

Mahmoud Hasan (Trezeguet), 23, Midfielder, Kasimpasa:)  I will begin by stating, I have no idea why he is known as Trezeguet.  He isn’t related to the former French player, David Trezeguet nor does he play the same position.  Nevertheless, I love the homage to Trezeguet. On the pitch, Trezeguet could possibly be an attacking counterpart to Mo Salah.  Trezeguet scored 14 goals and 5 assists for Turkish club, Kasimpasa and is hoping to have a similar impact for country. While not as skilled or quick as Salah, he does have the pace to pressure defenses down the left flank before cutting in and unleashing powerful shots from his right foot.  While he hasn’t achieved much production for Egypt (2 goals in 18 appearances), his current run of form with club may be a precursor to a surprising summer at the World Cup.