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The WC 2018 kicked-off in sumptuous style at the Luzhniki stadium in Russia last night with the hosts registering a thumping 5-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the opening game of the tournament. It was the first time since 1934 that the inaugural game of football's biggest prize had witnessed five goals and the electrifying start surely bodes well for the games to come.
Match 2 is scheduled to take place between Egypt and Uruguay, who complete Group A along with the hosts and Saudi Arabia, at the Ekaterinburg Arena. Uruguay are considered favorites to snatch all three points but Egypt's spectacular journey to the World Cup coupled with Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah's scintillating form could mean that this won't be a game won on paper.
In this segment, we take a look at five players who can play a pivotal role in deciding the outcome of this mouth-watering clash in Group A.
#5 Diego Godin - Uruguay
Uruguay's skipper is one of the more experienced players within the squad and has been a mainstay in the national team for quite some time now. After making his debut back in 2005 as a 19-year-old, Godin has represented his country in the last two editions of the World Cup and has already amassed around 117 caps for Uruguay during his inspiring career.
Godin is undoubtedly one of Uruguay's key players heading into the tournament considering his experience as well as leadership qualities. The fact that he recently tasted success in the Europa League with Atletico Madrid will also further boost his morale heading into what could be his final World Cup, at least in terms of leading the team.
The 32-year-old will be a stark figure at the heart of Uruguay's defence and will have his task cut out when he comes up against one of Europe's finest goal-scorers in the form of Mohamed Salah.
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#4 Essam El Hadary - Egypt
El Hadary's inclusion in the Egypt squad meant that he will officially become the oldest player to feature in the history of the tournament. Aged at 45, Egypt's captain throughout qualification is expected to be one of the key figures within this squad as the country prepares for its first World Cup in 28 long years.
The shot-stopper is in line to make his first World Cup appearance when the Pharaoh's kick-start their campaign against Uruguay and it is as clear as daylight that he will have to be at his best if they are to take something away from the tie. With the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani leading the attack for Uruguay, it's safe to say that El Hadary's performance can literally make or break the nation's hopes of progressing to the next round.
#3 Edinson Cavani - Uruguay
The PSG hitman has been in scintillating form for the Ligue 1 giants and scored 40 goals in all competitions for the club in the 2017/18 season. According to his critics, Cavani's goal-scoring antics are often written off with respect to the argument that the French top division offers little or no resistance to PSG in terms of quality. However, some of his teammates have openly admitted that he is the best striker in the world as we speak and certainly there is no smoke without fire?
Cavani is expected to set the tournament on fire alongside Luis Suarez as the focal points of attack for Uruguay. The 31-year-old also finished as the top-scorer in the CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup qualifiers, ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar, with 10 goals from 15 appearances.
A relatively open group could also mean that he can replicate his form at club-level to the grandest stage of them all. Throughout his career, Cavani has delivered in terms of goals and he will be licking his lips on the possibility of facing Egypt and Saudi Arabia to start off his campaign.
#2 Mohamed Salah - Egypt
Mohamed Salah has probably been the most talked about footballer over the course of the last 12 months. From the penalty that guided Egypt to their first ever World Cup in 28 years to his electric start to life at Anfield and the heartbreak of limping off in the Reds' first Champions League final in over a decade, following the greatest debut season by a Liverpool player.
Mo Salah has been nothing short of a revelation and the latest reports from the Egypt camp suggest that he is fit to feature against Uruguay in their opening game after persisting rumours surrounding his fitness continued to concern fans all over the world. The 25-year-old has silenced all his critics in some fashion and his inclusion in this list requires no further explanation.
#1 Luis Suarez - Uruguay
Looking back at his adventures in the previous editions of the World Cup, Luis Suarez will surely be looking for some form of redemption in this year's event in Russia. The striker has been labelled as the 'bad boy' in world football for quite sometime now due to his antics on the pitch be it the infamous biting row he had with Giorgio Chiellini in Brazil four years ago or his own version of Diego Maradona's 'hand of god' that helped break Ghanaian hearts in 2010.
Suarez has been at his destructive best for FC Barcelona in their La Liga triumph under new manager Ernesto Valverde this year and his 'hunger' for goals coupled with the possibility of facing defensively fragile sides like Saudi Arabia and Egypt can only point towards a goal-fest, that is only if he manages to stay on the pitch until the final whistle.
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