Never before have Egypt won a World Cup match in eight previous attempts, but that should change in Vancouver on matchday two.
New Zealand are the opponents and they enjoyed a solid start to their campaign, drawing 2-2 with Iran.
Motherwell winger Elijah Just scored two goals on his World Cup debut as Darren Bazeley’s men twice took the lead, although they were pegged back on both occasions.
Egypt were close to sealing a famous win over Belgium thanks to a wonderful goal from Emam Ashour, but an own goal from Mohamed Hany allowed the Belgians to snatch a point.
New Zealand v Egypt Tips Summary
Best Bet – Egypt to win @ 4/7
Alternative Bet – Both teams to score @ 21/20
Bet Builder – Mohamed Salah 1+ shot on target, Elijah Just 1+ shot on target and Marko Stamenic to commit 2+ fouls @ 4/1
New Zealand v Egypt Prediction
Best Bet: Egypt to win @ 4/7
Egypt know that they can make history by sealing all three points against New Zealand.
The African side have played eight World Cup matches up to this point, drawing three and losing five. Not only would they break new ground with a win, but it would also likely be enough to secure a place in the knockout stages.
Plenty of incentive, then, for Hossam Hassan and his men in Vancouver on Monday.
Prior to the tournament, Egypt narrowly lost to Brazil, which came a few days after a 1-0 win over Russia. The Egyptians also held European champions, Spain, to a draw in March.
Against Belgium, the Egyptians played well and registered seven corners and 14 shots during the game. It may have ended 1-1, but the performance will give them confidence ahead of their second match.
The All Whites have a similar incentive, having failed to any of their seven previous World Cup matches, but they have won just one of their last 12 fixtures and look up against it against a side with the attacking talents of Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush.
Alternative Bet: Both teams to score @ 21/20
Not many would have given New Zealand much hope of grinding out a result against Iran, yet Bazeley’s side performed admirably and could easily have secured all three points if it were not for better defending.
The All Whites have scored against teams such as Norway, Colombia and Ivory Coast over the last 12 months, while they had eight shots on target and scored twice against Iran.
Egypt have scored at least once in four of their last five matches - the exception coming against Spain - and with Salah and Marmoush leading the way from an attacking point of view, expect the New Zealand defence to be breached.
New Zealand v Egypt Bet Builder Tip
- Elijah Just 1+ shot on target
- Mohamed Salah 1+ shot on target
- Marko Stamenic 2+ fouls committed
Pays 4/1
Salah didn’t find the back of the net during the clash with Belgium, but he did look lively in spells.
He managed one shot on target during the game and with the New Zealand defence perhaps slightly easier to play through than the Belgian backline, Salah could be a menace throughout the match.
If Egypt have Salah, then Bazeley has one of the stars of matchday one in Elijah Just. The winger scored twice against Iran and will be hoping for another excellent performance against Egypt.
He averaged 2.2 shots per game in the Scottish Premiership last season and buoyed by his brace during the first game, in which he combined superbly with striker Chris Wood, he will be eager to add to his tally.
Between them, Marmoush and Salah registered six shots in the draw with Belgium. Therefore, keeping the duo quiet will be vital if New Zealand wish to take anything from this match.
Defender Marko Stamenic committed two fouls against Iran but is going to face a much tougher task in match two. He will be desperate to get a grip of midfield but that may lead to at least two fouls as he looks to keep the Pharaohs at bay.
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Key Match Stats
- Neither Egypt nor New Zealand have won a match at the World Cup finals
- The All Whites have drawn four consecutive World Cup matches dating back to the 2010 tournament
- New Zealand have scored in four of their seven matches at the finals
- Mohamed Salah has scored twice at the World Cup
- Egypt have lost just once in their last five matches
- Egypt defeated New Zealand 1-0 in March 2024
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
