The two teams will meet in St. Petersburg on Tuesday.

“Each coach has his own strategy, they prepare for the matches according to their philosophy. We need to bear in mind that there isn’t only one player on the pitch. I think it is great if they [Russia] are only focusing on Salah, but I’m sure that the coach doesn’t focus only on one player,” Cuper told reporters at the pre-match press conference, before going on to stress that Salah was a “crucial player” for his side.

In their first game in the World Cup, Egypt lost 1-0 to Uruguay. Salah did not play due to an injury he received during the Champions League final against Real Madrid in May.

“We always carry out a last physical test before we name the starting lineup, and today we’ll have an important test for him to see how he does,” Cuper said, adding that Salah was “fit” to play on Tuesday.

Egypt will also play against Saudi Arabia on 25 June.