Russia and Saudi Arabia are the two lowest-ranked teams in the tournament, and while the former will be keen to leverage their home advantage, it's hard to see how either will have an answer to Salah.

The tilt with the Russians could decide Egypt's fate at the World Cup, so a tough battle is unavoidable between the two sides in the race for the second place in the group, with a presumption that Uruguay will finish at the top.

The Pharaohs' head coach is the 62-year-old Argentinian tactician Hector Cuper, a man who knows the job. Cuper often uses a 4-2-3-1 formation with Sobhi and Salah on wings, and he prefers a direct passing game, launching a lot of fast counterattacks.

To what extent Cuper will help the team advance past the group stage largely depends on his effort to showcase Salah's aggressive attack mode.

Salah is having the season of his career in Liverpool, with 44 goals in 51 games, and could yet win the Ballon d'Or.

The Egypt forward has an uncanny calmness in front of goal and is unstoppable on the field with his break-ankle speedy moves. If he maintains his mojo until the summer, all other teams in the Group A will need a lasso to catch him.

However, the Pharaohs are limited in the way of being a one-man team to persist throughout the tournament. If Salah is neutralized by opponents, the team can probably lack a Plan B, because of coach Cuper's conservative approach in shifting gears.

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