After an entertaining 120 minutes against Cape Verde, Argentina will be looking for a more convincing performance against their next opponents, Egypt. Their win over the Cape Verdeans was not smooth sailing with La Albiceleste being pushed all the way to the end in their 3-2 win.

The Pharaohs defeated Australia in their last outing on penalties after the game ended 1–1. Four faultless penalties from the Egyptians confirmed their place in the last 16.

The two nations face off in Atlanta, Georgia on July 7th at 12 noon local time (5pm BST). A place in the final eight awaits with either Switzerland or Colombia being the next opponents for the winning side.

However, Egypt will be coming up against the reigning champions with captain Lionel Messi steering the ship. The 39-year-old has already tallied seven goals so far this tournament, on par with Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.

Hossam Hassan’s Egyptians secured their place in the knockout rounds for the first time since 1934, when there were only 16 teams in the tournament to begin. Meanwhile the Argentines have made it to  the quarter finals on four of their last five attempts.

Similar to the Cape Verde game, Argentina will likely hold the ball for the majority of the game, starving Egypt of possession. This has been their approach to all games so far with their smooth interplay proving too much for opponents.

Talisman Messi has been the key to Argentina’s success, scoring in every game so far in the tournament and offering much more than goals, with his elite linkup and cohesion with teammates. Egypt will need to find a way to numb Messi’s ability to effect the game, perhaps by upping the physicality.

Whilst the Argentinians’s have been known for their game management in major tournaments, Egypt attempting to slow the tie down by showing their rougher side could be the key to throw the Argentine’s out of their comfort zone after a mostly calm tournament so far. Lionel Scaloni’s side will surely have the technical ability to outplay the Egyptians but raising the temper of both sides may tell a different story.

Argentina’s best football undoubtably comes when they’re moving quickly, with one touch football and darting runs off the ball proving to open gaps in opposition defences. But as the tournament moves on and games become harder and more intense, their ability to do so won’t come so easy.

No major updates come from the Argentina camp, with the only potential concern being the outcome of their win against Cape Verde. The game saw Facundo Medina forced off the pitch with an injury, but his status has not been portrayed as serious. Regardless, Nicolas Tagliafico is also an option for Scaloni.

Lautaro Martinez has yet to find form at the tournament with the 28-year-old only scoring once from the penalty spot against Jordan. With Julian Alvarez hungry to make that starting striker position his own, Scaloni could face a difficult decision in who should partner Messi.

For the Egyptians, left back Larim Hafez was forced off the pitch after pulling up with an injury against Australia, but he has since returned to training and expected to be available. His presence in the squad is huge as fellow left back Ahmed Farouh is likely unavailable after being forced to miss the game against Australia due to injury.

Thankfully for the Pharaohs, Mohamed Lasheen is available for selection again after serving a one game suspension for multiple yellow cards. A huge boost for Hossam Hassan’s side after the midfielder played every previous minute prior to his suspension.

Argentina 3-2 Egypt

The Argentines have shown that they aren’t perfect and can be caught sleeping in defence. Egypt will surely be looking at the Cape Verde performance with eager eyes but ultimately the quality of the Argentines boosted by the impact from the bench will see the South Americans progress to the last eight once again.