Argentina Faces Egypt in World Cup Round of 16 Big Showdown as Messi and Salah Headline Tuesday's Clash

ATLANTA — Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah will share the same field for a rare World Cup meeting Tuesday evening, as defending champion Argentina takes on a resurgent Egypt side in a Round of 16 clash at Mercedes-Benz Stadium that carries significant stakes for both nations.

Argentina arrives at the match after surviving a dramatic scare against tournament debutant Cape Verde in the Round of 32. The reigning champions needed extra time to see off the Blue Sharks, who twice came from behind to force the match into an additional 30 minutes. Argentina ultimately advanced when defender Diony Borges deflected the ball into his own net in the 111th minute, sparing Lionel Scaloni's side from a shootout despite Cape Verde firing 16 shots at the Argentine goal across the full 120 minutes of play.

The result extended an increasingly familiar pattern for Argentina in extra time at the World Cup. The team has now won 10 of its 12 matches at the tournament that have gone beyond the standard 90 minutes, a mark that includes four victories decided in extra time and six more settled from the penalty spot. Despite the closer-than-expected margin against Cape Verde, Argentina remains on an eight-match winning streak across all competitions, scoring at least two goals in each of those wins and racking up 11 goals across four matches so far in North America.

Individually, Messi continued to rewrite the tournament's record books during the win over Cape Verde. The 39-year-old became the first player to score seven goals in two separate World Cups, and he briefly held the record for the most goal involvements in a single tournament's knockout rounds with 12, a mark that France's Kylian Mbappe matched later the same day in a separate match against Paraguay.

Should Argentina get past Egypt, the winner would face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarterfinals. Historically, Argentina has fared well at this stage of the tournament, winning seven of its last nine World Cup Round of 16 matches, with its only defeats in that stretch coming in 1994 and 2018.

Egypt, meanwhile, arrives in Atlanta having reached the Round of 16 for the first time in 92 years, and for the first time on what the team's supporters and observers have described as pure sporting merit. The Pharaohs' only previous appearance in the knockout stage came in 1934, during a tournament format in which just 16 teams competed and advanced directly into the knockout rounds without a preliminary group stage. This year's run has come through Egypt's own results, including a penalty shootout win over Australia in the Round of 32.

That shootout victory showcased Egypt's composure under pressure, as the team converted all of its attempts, including an audacious "Panenka"-style chip from Salah. Australia's chances of advancing were ultimately undone when defenders Harry Souttar and Lucas Herrington both missed their attempts from the spot, sending Egypt through to face Argentina.

Egypt's path to this point has not been without concerns. The team has conceded at least one goal in six consecutive matches, a stretch that followed an earlier run of three straight clean sheets, raising questions about the squad's defensive solidity heading into a matchup with one of the tournament's most dangerous attacking sides. Coach Hossam Hassan's team has also leaned heavily on individual moments of brilliance from Salah and set-piece opportunities to generate its attacking output, an approach that has proven effective in wins but has also drawn scrutiny over whether it can hold up against stronger opposition in the latter stages of a major tournament.

Argentina and Egypt have met only once before, in a 2008 friendly that Argentina won 2-0 on the strength of goals from Sergio Aguero and Nicolas Burdisso. Messi did not play in that match due to a muscular injury, meaning Tuesday's meeting will mark the first time he and Salah share the pitch in a competitive fixture between the two nations.

Both squads enter the match dealing with fitness questions following their respective Round of 32 victories. Argentina's Nahuel Molina, Enzo Fernandez and Facundo Medina were unable to complete a full training recovery session in the days following the win over Cape Verde. Medina's issue has been described as cramp-related, with Nicolas Tagliafico available as a potential replacement at left-back if needed, while winger Nico Gonzalez is considered more of a doubt due to a reported ankle sprain.

Egypt's concerns are more extensive. Left-back Karim Hafez was substituted in the 80th minute of the win over Australia, with conflicting reports attributing the withdrawal to either fatigue or a minor hamstring issue. His potential absence would be a significant blow for Egypt given the attacking threat Messi poses down that side of the field, particularly since fellow left-back Ahmed Fatouh remains uncertain for Tuesday after missing the Australia match with a thigh injury of his own. Center-back Mohamed Abdelmonem, who missed the Round of 32 match with an ankle injury sustained during the group stage against Iran, is also considered a doubtful selection. On a more positive note for Egypt, midfielder Mohanad Lasheen has served his one-match suspension and is available for selection after missing the win over Australia due to yellow-card accumulation.

Based on current squad news, Argentina's possible starting lineup includes goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, with a back line of Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez and Medina, a midfield of Rodrigo De Paul, Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister, and an attacking trio of Messi, Lautaro Martinez and Thiago Almada. Egypt is expected to field goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, formerly known as Shobeir, behind a defense of Ahmed Hany, Ahmed Fathy, Mahmoud Ibrahim and Yasser Rabia, supported by a midfield of Mahmoud Ashour, Lasheen, Emam Ashour and Ziko, with Salah and Omar Marmoush leading the attacking line.

The match kicks off Tuesday evening at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with the winner advancing to face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarterfinal round as the World Cup's knockout stage continues to narrow toward its final rounds.