The Egyptian national team is preparing to play a heavyweight match against Argentina, as part of the round of 16 matches in the 2026 World Cup tournament.
This comes after the Pharaohs' historic qualification to the round of 16 following their victory over Australia in the final match of the round of 32 in the penalty shootout with a score of 4-2.
Hossam Hassan, the head coach of the Egyptian national team, hopes to continue making history by defeating the champions of the world in the last edition and qualifying for the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time in the Pharaohs' history at the World Cup.
"Yalla Koura" monitors for its followers a series of interviews over 39 days during the most important event in football, which is the 2026 World Cup held in the United States of America, Mexico, and Canada.
Here, the interview will be with Gabriel Calderón, the former Argentine national team player and former coach of the Saudi and Omani national teams, where he spoke about the upcoming match between Egypt and Argentina, confirming that the Pharaohs have many distinguished players.
The text of the interview came as follows:
How do you see the upcoming Egypt vs Argentina match?
"It will certainly be a difficult match for both teams, but we will see what happens in this tough encounter."
How do you expect the two teams to manage the match from a technical standpoint?
"I think Argentina struggles when it does not have possession in the opponent's half, and this appeared frequently against the Cape Verde national team; Argentina suffered against Cape Verde when it lost possession."
"Therefore, the Argentine national team will try to play inside the opponent's half in the upcoming match against Egypt in order to appear in the best possible form and qualify for the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup."
Do you think the Argentine national team is capable of winning the World Cup?
"Certainly they are capable of that; Argentina is among the top contenders to win the World Cup, but there are other competitors as well, such as France, Brazil, Morocco, and Spain—all wonderful teams. Paraguay eliminated Germany, so Argentina must remain vigilant and deliver a big performance if it wants to avoid elimination against Egypt."
"Every team is expected to win the World Cup without suffering; it is impossible for every team to win all matches with big scores, so what happened against Cape Verde is now in the past, and we all know that every match differs from the other."
"In the last edition of the World Cup, Argentina lost its first match against Saudi Arabia in the group stage, then continued its journey until it won the title; therefore, of course, Argentina is capable of winning regardless of its recent matches in the World Cup."
Who are the most prominent Egyptian national team players who will pose a threat to Argentina?
"Argentina is favored to have greater ball possession and attempt to impose play in Egypt's half, while counterattacks represent the most dangerous weapon for the Egyptian national team."
"What is required is to limit the exploitation of spaces behind the defensive line, while relying on effective counter-pressing and full readiness to deal with periods of suffering that the match may impose."
"Mohamed Salah remains the most influential player in Egypt's ranks, alongside Emam Ashour who is delivering distinguished performances in the tournament, while Omar Marmoush possesses the ability to make a difference if the match goes in a way that suits his style and he appears at his best levels."
Who do you expect to win that match?
"Certainly I do not know who will win or exactly how the match will go, but of course I hope the Argentine national team wins."
