Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt: Team News, Live Stream, TV Info for World Cup 2018

Egypt and Saudi Arabia will be playing for pride when they meet in the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Monday, with both sides having lost their first two matches.

Neither side can progress to the knockout phase, but both will be eager not to finish with three defeats from three matches.

Date: Monday, June 25

Time: 5 p.m. local time/3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET

TV: ITV (UK), FS1 (U.S.)

Live Stream: ITV Hub (UK), Fox Soccer 2GO (U.S.)

Team News

Despite Egypt's early exit from the tournament, the Egyptian Football Association has stated that talismanic forward Mohamed Salah will be remaining with the squad, per Sky Sports News:

The Liverpool man was an unused substitute for their first match, a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay. He raced to get fit for the tournament after suffering a shoulder injury during the UEFA Champions League final in May.

According to Transfermarkt, Saudi Arabia midfielders Hatan Bahbir and Taiseer Al-Jassam could be doubts for the match because of a minor wound and a thigh problem, respectively.

Preview

Although Salah's injury on club duty was beyond their control, Egypt have been one of the most disappointing sides at the World Cup.

They offered little in their loss to Uruguay aside from some defensive resilience, and they were comfortably dispatched 3-1 by Russia in their second game despite Salah's return to action.

As the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce noted, the winger did not appear to be fully fit:

He did get on the scoresheet from the penalty spot, though.

There's no guarantee he will start again now that the result is moot, as they may not want to risk his fitness further.

That said, he may never get the chance to appear at another World Cup—even if he can't see Egypt through the group, he might not want to pass up this opportunity.

Saudi Arabia improved significantly from their 5-0 defeat to Russia during their 1-0 loss at the hands of Uruguay, as Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe noted:

They don't have much about them in the final third, but the Pharaohs showed in the last match they can be got at.

It's likely to be a close contest between two fairly poor sides, but if Salah plays—even if he's not firing on all cylinders—Egypt will have a difference-maker in their side, and that could prove decisive.