Russia goalkeeper and captain Igor Akinfeev both say the team should not single out Egypt striker Mohamed Salah and forget about the rest of the Egyptian team ahead of their Group A match, which is set to be held in St. Petersburg on Tuesday.
"I think it's inappropriate and wrong to single out someone in the Egyptian team," said Akinfeev. "There are other footballers besides Salah. We'll look at the result after the match."
On Friday, Egypt head coach Hector Cuper said that he did not let Salah play during their 1-0 defeat by Uruguay in order to ensure the 26-year-old was fully fit to play against Russia after injuring his shoulder in late May.
Russia are currently top of Group A after defeating Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the opening game of the tournament, and are ahead of Uruguay on goal difference.
International news source
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