The Round of 32 brings us a fascinating contrast: Egypt's Salah-powered attack against Australia's defensively disciplined but attack-starved Socceroos.

Here's the setup: Egypt finished second in Group G with 5 points (W1-D2-L0), advancing from the group stage for the first time in the modern era. They've scored five goals and conceded four in three matches — every game has seen both teams score. Most importantly, Mohamed Salah, who suffered a hamstring strain against Iran, has returned to full training and is available.

Australia finished second in Group D with 4 points (W1-D1-L1), but they were the lowest-scoring team among group-stage qualifiers. The Socceroos failed to score in their final two group games and registered the lowest expected goals (xG) of 2.1 among all teams finishing in the top two of their group. To make matters worse, they'll be without key attackers Mathew Leckie (hamstring) and Jacob Italiano (adductor) for the remainder of the tournament.

Tactically, this shapes up as Egypt's flexible 4-2-3-1 with a high press trying to break down Australia's compact back-five. The Socceroos will look to counter-attack, primarily through the pace of Nestory Irankunda.

The betting market has Egypt as favorites, but there's value in Australia keeping it close. Egypt has yet to keep a clean sheet, while Australia's defensive organization has been solid despite their attacking struggles. With Salah likely not at 100% and Australia missing key forwards, this could be tighter than the odds suggest.

The two nations have met twice before: a 3-0 Egypt win in a 2010 friendly and a 0-0 draw in the 1987 Presidents Cup semi-final that went to penalties. History suggests these matches tend to be tight affairs.

The play: Australia +0.25 at -105. The Socceroos' defensive setup should keep them within touching distance, and they only need to avoid a loss to push. Egypt's attack has been potent but vulnerable defensively, and Australia's counter-attacking threat through Irankunda could be enough to steal a goal on the break.

Sal is 14-10 (+3.9u YTD).

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