Egypt vs Colombia
The picturesque city of Bergamo, Italy is the perfect backdrop for a football match as exotic as this.
Indeed, this is just the match that would make a beautiful city northeast of Milan bloom further as the hot summer sun comes. While the real summer football will happen in Russia, this friendly is definitely one to catch. It will be worth to check the international friendly betting tips at sites like SBOBET for this match has the potential to be a cracker!
Of course, we are under no illusion that Egypt will struggle against Los Cafeteros without their Liverpool talisman, but that doesn’t mean that Colombia will get a free win from this friendly. Egypt dominated their qualification group and should still pose a problem to any club in the World Cup. This is a great opportunity for Hector Cuper’s team to make a statement to their Group A opponents.
Talking Points
The biggest topic ahead of this match is Mohamed Salah’s absence. Egypt and Liverpool fans are understandably livid towards Real Madrid and Spain defender Sergio Ramos tried a WWE move on their talisman during the Champions League final. Salah will not be playing in this important tune-up to fight a tense battle with his shoulder injury.
However, positive news reached Cuper’s side: the ace will be able to return and play in the Pharaoh’s World Cup campaign. Consultations with the national team doctor said that Salah will miss three weeks at the most. He has now reportedly gone to Spain in order to speed up the recovery process.
Someone else needs to step up in place of the injured Salah, and there are multiple options for the Pharaohs. Ahmed Hassan Mahgoub has played well for Braga in Portugal and could very well take Salah’s place up front. Meanwhile, Mohamed Elneny will be the midfield general while West Brom defender Ahmed Hegazi will try to hold down the back line against James Rodriguez.
Colombia have started training in Italy to slowly acclimate themselves in the northern hemisphere and the slightly colder weather in preparation for Russia. They are obvious favourites to win against the Salah-less Egypt, but AC Milan striker Carlos Bacca warned everyone against Egypt in a recent interaction with the press.
“We know that Egypt is a tough team, even right now as they’re going through a difficult phase without their main player Mohamed Salah,” Bacca said. He also wished for the Liverpool man’s quick recovery and a speedy return to the Pharaohs in time for the World Cup.
Colombia will just continue to focus on their preparations for a dangerous group stage. They have a great shot at making it past the group stages as long as James Rodriguez repeats his heroics in 2014. The Colombian has enjoyed a renaissance after a successful debut season with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, and he will most likely use his fine domestic form as a boost to get the nation past a tough group.
History
This is the first time these two nations will face in a competition of any form. Both Cuper and Colombia boss Jose Pekerman will be looking at their opponents’ performances in the qualifiers and their previous competitions in order to get an idea of their opponents’ style of play.
Africa had a tough time trying to contain Mohamed Salah’s Pharaohs. Be it the Africa Cup of Nations or the World Cup qualifiers, the continent rattled with every step Egypt took. They swept through the group stages of both the qualifiers and the African Cup of Nations. Egypt then made a strong run to the ACO final, only to be defeated by a daring Cameroon side.
While Egypt’s performances since the qualifier have been far from ideal (two draws and two defeats), they still have a powerful squad that can take it to the best of them. They will be especially dangerous when Salah makes his return.
Meanwhile, Colombia had a fairly decent run in South America. Colombia managed to make the last automatic qualification spot in a continent that is loaded with superb footballing talent. A draw with Peru on the last day of qualifiers ensured that their tickets up north are booked without any hitches.
They also had a grand time when they made the trip to the United States for the Copa America. They were behind the hosts during the group stages due to goal difference, but they made it all the way to the tournament semi-final where they lost to Chile. They then beat the Americans to secure third.
What are the odds?
The bookies heavily favour the Cafeteros as Salah’s absence is just too heavy to ignore. It is highly likely that either James, Bacca or any of the Colombian attackers manage to break through the Egyptian defence on the first half, so betting on Colombia’s First Half 1X2 odds of 2.07 is a worthwhile investment.
However, it’s also possible that we will see the Pharaohs hunkering down and standing tall like their pyramids in front of a blistering Colombian attack. I don’t think Cuper will allow Colombia to score off them, so Egypt +1.00 @ 1.91 is also an intriguing prospect.
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