Australia vs Egypt Prediction: Salah to strike from distance

Australia and Egypt, both seeking a first-ever FIFA World Cup knockout stage victory, meet at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Friday (1pm local, 7pm BST, BBC One).

Below are my Australia vs Egypt predictions, alongside all the latest team news and match odds.

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Team News

Jacob Italiano (groin) and Mathew Leckie (hamstring) were both ruled out of the rest of the tournament following Australia's second group game, a 2-0 defeat to the USA.

Tony Popovic hasn't endured any further injury pain, meaning he could name the same starting XI that lined up for their goalless draw with Paraguay last time out. That would mean teenage centre back Lucas Herrington making back-to-back starts for the first time at these finals.

World Cup Odds

As for Egypt, Mohamed Salah, Ahmed El Fotough (both hamstring), Hamdy Fathy (groin), Hossam Abdelmaguid (head) and Mohamed Abdelmonem (ankle) are all nursing issues, making the Pharaohs quintet doubts for Friday's match, although you'd certainly expect Salah to start unless he has a major problem.

Mohanad Lasheen, meanwhile, is suspended for Hossam Hassan's side after picking up two yellow cards in three group games.

Australia vs Egypt Odds

Australia, who finished as runners-up to the USA in Group D, are 9/4 underdogs in regulation time, implying a 30.8% probability of success, while Egypt, who came second in Group G behind Belgium, are 6/4, or a 40% chance, to triumph in 90 minutes.

The draw, which would send the tie to extra-time, is offered at 15/8, while Egypt to Win, Salah 1+ Shots on Target & Omar Marmoush 1+ Shots on Target has been boosted from 4/1 to 5/1.

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Player to Have 1 or More Shots on Target From Outside the Box - Mohamed Salah (EGY) @ 9/2

Salah may not be as deadly from outside the box as he was in his pomp for Liverpool, when he would cut in from the right and curl his shot into the far corner past a flailing goalkeeper.

However, I don't think that ability has totally deserted him, even if he has failed to hit the target with both attempts from outside the box at this year's World Cup, which both came in the same game, a 3-1 victory over New Zealand, in which he scored from just inside the 18-yard area.

Salah scored from distance in Egypt's 3-1 win over Benin in the Africa Cup of Nations on 5 January and you can bet he will be desperate to score his first-ever World Cup knockout goal on Friday, so expect shots from all distances and angles.

Australia kept a clean sheet in their first group game against Turkey, winning 2-0, but the Crescent-Stars forced Socceroos shot-stopper Patrick Beach into making eight saves, and five of those efforts were taken from outside the box.

The USA and Paraguay subsequently forced Beach into making one save from distance apiece.

Player 3+ Fouls Won (Sub Switch) - Emam Ashour (EGY) @ 6/4

Emam Ashour started all three of Egypt's group games, winning three fouls apiece against Belgium and New Zealand.

The 28-year-old was taken off at half-time against Iran, failing to win a foul in his 45 minutes of playing time, but his replacement, Marmoush, won two.

So, backing Ashour to win 3+ fouls has been a winning bet in two of Egypt's three matches at this World Cup so far, and with Betfred's Sub Switch, it was one off landing in a third.

Ashour, who plays his club football for Al-Ahly, averaged 2.1 fouls won per game in the 2025/26 Egyptian Premier League, and averaged 1.5 fouls won per game at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, making six appearances (four starts); backing Ashour in the Player 3+ Fouls Won market at the latter tournament would've been a winner three times with Betfred's Sub Switch offer.

Australia averaged 11.3 fouls per game in the group stage, with Turkey's Orkun Kokcu and the USA's Malik Tillman both upended three times apiece.

Betred's Sub Switch rolls your bet to the oncoming substitute, so you stay in the game, even when your player doesn’t.