Mahmoud Kahrabaمحمود عبد المنعم كهربا

Egypt’s clash against Saudi Arabia will be their toughest yet, says Mahmoud Kahraba

Egypt international striker Mahmoud Kahraba reckons their final Group A match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup against Saudi Arabia will not be easy.

The Pharaohs' attacker insists they still want to claim their first win on the global stage and will fight to do so on Monday, June 25.

The Al Ittihad hitman was speaking about Egypt’s upcoming clash against the Saudis as they wrap up their first appearance at the global showpiece since 1990.

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Under the management of coach Hector Cuper, the North Africans are yet to win a group match after opening with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Uruguay.

In their second encounter, they met hosts Russia and failed to secure the full three points as they lost 3-1 on Tuesday.

However, Liverpool star Mohamed Salah netted for the Pharaohs from the penalty spot, but it was still not enough for them to claim victory.

Resulting from the defeat, Egypt are now playing Saudi Arabia as a formality as they are out of the race to reach the Last 16.

Moreover, the Pharaohs and the Green Falcons both have zero points, but the latter are bottom of the table in Group A on goal difference.

Kahraba has dubbed their upcoming match as an Arab derby, and said it will be tougher than all their matches.

“This game will be the toughest one because it’s considered an Arab derby,” Kahraba told ON Sport.

“Football doesn’t reward the strongest team on paper, it rewards the most disciplined team on the pitch. Saudi Arabia have really special players,” he noted.

“This generation of players wants to claim a first World Cup win in Egypt’s history. We wanted to make the supporters happy but the previous results were poor and luck wasn’t on our side,” he continued.

“All players did their best, the starting players and the substitutes. We also learned instructions from the coaching staff and we respect their point of view,” continued the forward.

“We hoped that we would do something special in a prestigious tournament as the World Cup. I’m sure that with the fans’ support we will make it to the 2022 World Cup,” he concluded.

The encounter is set to be staged at 14:00 and the venue is the Volgograd Arena.

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