Tony Popovic, the head coach of the Australian national team, agreed with Hossam Hassan, the head coach of the Egyptian national team, that height will not make a significant difference before the anticipated match in the Round of 32 of the World Cup.
The Egyptian team will meet Australia on Friday at 9 PM in the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup.
The head coach of the Australian team said at the press conference: "We had many chances against Paraguay that we did not take advantage of, and we are confident that we can create more chances against Egypt."
He added, "Hossam Hassan's statement about height? I agree with what Hossam Hassan said, this is football, and we reached this stage because we played good football."
Hossam Hassan had stated at the press conference before the match: "Maradona was not tall, nor was Messi, Mbappe, or Mohamed Salah... We have strength, height, and jumping in the Egyptian team; we do not play rugby or American football." (Read the rest of the statements)
In response to how he will utilize the 8 days of rest before the match against Egypt, he answered: "We will know the result of that tomorrow; this is new for us as players and coaches. Physically and mentally, we are in excellent shape, and we are ready and want to enjoy the moment and continue to play high-level football."
He added, "We know that the future is bright, and we have many young players who will shape the future, and we believe that we can achieve success now."
He continued, "We have already proven by advancing past the group stage that we have quality, and I am sure the players will perform well against Egypt."
He added, "We know the importance of this match, and I believe all the players are ready to give their best."
He emphasized, "We must focus on the present moment. History is made after the match, so we must do our part during the match, whether we play 90 minutes, extra time, or penalties, to make that history."
In response to how he deals with Salah's injury: "We prepared for Salah's participation. We monitored the players who will replace him if he does not participate. Therefore, we prepared for both scenarios, and we will see what happens."
He concluded, "I expect it to be the hardest match so far because it is a knockout match, with all due respect to Egypt. But I also feel that we can perform better."
The Egyptian team qualified as the runner-up in Group G with 7 points, behind Belgium on goal difference, while the Australian team finished second in Group D with 4 points ahead of Paraguay, who was third in the group on goal difference.
The Australian team began its journey by defeating Turkey 2-0, then lost by the same score to the USA and drew 0-0 with Paraguay, qualifying in second place.
It is worth noting that the winner of this match will face the winner of the Argentina and Cape Verde match.
