Why Mo Salah and Egypt could find it difficult to topple Lionel Messi's Argentina

[p]Both have long been the talismans for the nations that they represent, though the end of the road is nigh for one of them, as they'll head home at the conclusion of proceedings in Atlanta.[/p][p][a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3VDpquoCETKXpvGbKvMtXe?si=s9pwc75MToqE59I1XfywXg" target="_blank"][b]Listen to the audio version of this article on Spotify![/b][/a][/p][h2]Salah could equal 2010 record against Argentina[/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/argentina/f9OppQjp/"]La Albiceleste[/a] made hard work of their last assignment against minnows [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cape-verde/MocyWdm7/"]Cape Verde[/a], and that blueprint could well be the way in which the Egyptian's look to stifle [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/messi-lionel/vgOOdZbd/"]Messi[/a] and Co., causing one of the shocks of this edition of the tournament in the process.[/p][p]Salah has neither been a peripheral figure nor has he had quite the same influence on his team as Messi has had on Argentina, but that may work to his and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/egypt/bejDn7NN/"]Egypt[/a]'s favour, in that the set-up isn't just centred on serving him, as it is with the reigning world champions.[/p][embed guid="307c50c6-5e72-4717-a833-84632001fc49" url="https://x.com/OptaJoe/status/2066604195004776857" social-type="twitter" /][p]That said, he can still equal a record set by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/boateng-kevin-prince/A92JGu0r/"]Kevin-Prince Boateng[/a] for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ghana/nNBjHale/"]Ghana[/a] in 2010. So far in the current tournament, Salah has created 16 chances for his teammates - more than anyone else at this World Cup - and two more in this game would see him draw level with Boateng as the African player with the most chances created in one edition of the FIFA showpiece.[/p][p]La Pulga can also create another slice of history in this match should he find the net, as he'll become only the second Argentine in history to score at least eight goals at a World Cup after Guillermo Stabile in 1930, almost a century ago.[/p][h2]Can Messi score for the fifth game in a row?[/h2][p]He'd become only the sixth player in tournament history to score in his opening five games, too, following Just Fontaine ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/france/QkGeVG1n/"]France[/a] 1958), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jairzinho/fVNqiYRD/"]Jairzinho[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brazil/I9l9aqLq/"]Brazil[/a] 1970), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/muller-gerd/l23kuHLo/"]Gerd Muller[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]Germany[/a] 1970), Rivaldo (Brazil 2002), and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rodriguez-james/MPaioN57/"]James Rodriguez[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/colombia/G02s4PCS/"]Colombia[/a] 2014).[/p][p]If the group as a collective can score 2+ goals between them, then they'll have equalled [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/uruguay/xMk44orG/"]Uruguay[/a] and become just the second nation to score at least twice in 11 consecutive World Cup games. La Albiceleste would also become the first nation ever to beat three African nations in the same edition of the tournament.[/p][embed guid="e6702dd6-b128-4494-9e28-2a0cb89e2c84" url="https://x.com/AFASeleccionEN/status/2074231963263664575" social-type="twitter" /][p]With 11 straight wins in all competitions, Argentina will clearly take some stopping, and as they showed against Cape Verde, even when not at their best, they're able to get the job done, and that's the sign of champions.[/p][p]Even at 39 years of age, Messi is still setting the standard for others to follow, and in this World Cup, he's been ably assisted by a variety of top-quality performances from the likes of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/martinez-lisandro/GIzJAqQs/"]Lisandro Martinez[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-paul-rodrigo/AZ6TTjDC/"]Rodrigo De Paul[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alvarez-julian/bBHauDIC/"]Julian Alvarez[/a] and others.[/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /][h2]Argentina's solid defence could be the difference[/h2][p]That quality, which runs throughout the side, is arguably a greater danger to the Egyptians than just concentrating on neutralising Messi.[/p][p]Just three goals conceded in their last six matches in all competitions speaks of a solid defence, and a base from which Argentina can build their winning positions.[/p][image alt="Argentina's current form" id="42df8d15-69fd-4808-84d8-4ace6fcccc66" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="65ad90dc-8b09-4b7f-86b0-ef6cd17a9449" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]Though Egypt are unbeaten in four matches themselves, eight goals scored but six conceded give an idea as to where their issues may lie.[/p][p]They do have the motivating factor of becoming only the fifth African nation to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament, however, following in the footsteps of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cameroon/zk1uVG2D/"]Cameroon[/a] (1990), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/senegal/hOIsJLJr/"]Senegal[/a] (2002), Ghana (2010) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a] (2022 and 2026).[/p][h2]Egypt must stop the supply line at source[/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ashour-emam/fuSVhCZ5/"]Emam Ashour[/a] has top-scored for them at the tournament with two goals, and if Salah or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/marmoush-omar/44pYRYIC/"]Omar Marmoush[/a] can play him into space, he has the capability to take his chances when presented with them.[/p][p]The double pivot that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mohanad-lasheen/U7m2BFH2/"]Mohanad Lasheen[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/attia-marwan/EiQMWoYI/"]Marwan Attia[/a] will play in front of their back four is likely to be pivotal to the outcome, too, as a clear instruction from manager Hossam Hassan will be to shut down the passing lanes into Messi.[/p][image alt="Argentina v Egypt - Live win probability" id="53f12848-7f6f-48d2-acda-7ff9795de7c5" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="b46cbb00-b349-4426-8167-4316bebd46b3" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]If the dangerous No.10 doesn't have the ball, he can't punish the opponent, so stopping the supply line at source has to be the way in which Egypt approach this game.[/p][p]The defending champions in the last five editions of the tournament have always progressed past this stage, and Egypt have only ever beaten a team from CONMEBOL territories once in their history (L12, D3), which also indicates the size of the task facing them in what's expected to be another thrilling game.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/argentina-f9OppQjp/egypt-bejDn7NN/?mid=bodsDyte"]Follow Argentina vs Egypt here[/a][/b].[/p][infobox id="8a8311c3-81b3-440e-8b49-36091db073d1" /]