Mohamed Salah fit for Egypt's World Cup clash against Australia

Egypt captain Mohamed Salah is set to feature for his country in Friday's World Cup round-of-32 match against Australia. Head coach Hossam Hassan confirmed that the 34-year-old forward has recovered sufficiently from a hamstring strain to be available for the encounter in Arlington.

Salah suffered the injury during the final group-stage match against Iran on June 26, which forced him off the pitch in the 57th minute. He has since undergone an intensive physiotherapy program and rejoined the team for partial training on Wednesday.

Salah is a passionate player, and he is very much looking forward to making a contribution tomorrow. However, I am not going to run any risks unless I am 100 percent sure he is raring and ready to go. Hossam Hassan

While Hassan confirmed Salah’s availability, he stopped short of guaranteeing a starting spot for the star forward. The manager indicated that a final decision on whether Salah starts or enters the game as a substitute will be made closer to kickoff. Salah has been instrumental for Egypt in this tournament, contributing one goal and two assists to help the team reach the knockout stage for the first time in their history.

The squad will be missing left-back Ahmed Fattouh, who has been ruled out of the Australia match after tearing his hamstring against Iran. Meanwhile, center-back Mohamed Abdelmonem is expected to be fit despite an ankle injury sustained in the same fixture.