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SocceroosStars Mathew Leckie and Jacob Italiano have been injured and have returned home from the World Cup, as the Australians anxiously await news on the condition of Egypt’s top forward.Mohamed Salah.

According to FIFA regulations, Leckie and Italiano cannot be substituted by new players in the squad following their absence in the match against Paraguay, which secured the national team a third spot in the tournament’s knockout rounds.

Aziz Behich expressed his disappointment for Leckie – but the team now needs to get ready for the chance that Salah, who established himself as one of the game’s genuine legends during his time withPremier League giants Liverpool, will stand against them in the decisive battle at 4am Saturday, AEST.

Socceroos players and officials observed on Friday evening as their possible opponent changed several times, with Egypt’s last-minute 1-1 tie against Iran and Belgium’s 5-1 victory over New Zealand determining the final matchup.

Australia will face Egypt, the second-place team from Group G, in Arlington, Texas — although there is uncertainty regarding Salah, who was substituted off and had his left hamstring iced after only 56 minutes.

“It wasn’t favorable for him to be substituted in such a crucial match at 1-1, to be taken off at that point, so you wonder if there’s something to it,” said Socceroos assistant coach Hayden Foxe.

But he possesses great skill, and I’m confident he’ll do whatever it takes to participate in this game.

To address this kind of player, you don’t place too much focus on them, but you must recognize and respect the fact that there are some skilled individuals.

And subsequently, you could adopt a strategy that compels them into a broad zone or an area where he isn’t receiving much of the ball between the lines.

If Salah is available, coach Tony Popovic might have to decide whether to maintain Aziz Behich on the left to defend him, or bring Jordy Bos back to his preferred position.

That would be a challenging decision considering Bos’s strong control on the right against Paraguay.

Salah is Egypt’s unquestionable main attraction, joined by Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush.

The remainder of the team is not as widely recognized, but Foxe highlighted Egypt’s excellent qualification process, followed by solid preparation matches against Brazil and Spain, as evidence of their capability.

“They are a formidable team. They function well as a unit. Many of their players compete in their local league, yet their local league is competitive,” Foxe remarked.

They are familiar with one another. They have been in a relationship for an extended period, so they function as a team, as a single unit.

And as we have demonstrated, when you play as a team, as a single entity, you are hard to defeat. So it’s going to be a huge match.

Australia has faced Egypt on two occasions, in 1987 and 2010.

However, the Socceroos believe their challenging AFC qualification path, which often includes matches against West Asian teams such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Jordan, will benefit them as they aim for their first knockout victory.

“They possess genuine innate technical ability,” Foxe remarked.

They perform with a certain fearlessness, which is characteristic of the typical African-Arab approach to football.

So, it will be a great test, a challenge that we are eager to face.

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