World Cup Gamethread: Russia vs Egypt

Colombia vs Japan — Group H

Photo by Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images

James Rodriguez will not be Colombia’s sole leader this World Cup: he will be joined by Monaco striker Radamel Falcao, as Colombia hope to relive the magic of their surprise 2014 campaign. Then, Falcao was unable to recover from a cruciate ligament tear in time for the tournament, but this time the now 32-year-old striker is ready. The big question is how he and James will perform together on the pitch. Their first test is Japan, which sports Bundesliga stars Gotoku Sakai (Hamburg) and Shinji Kagawa (Dortmund), but relatively few new players since 2014.

Location: Mordovia Arena, Saransk, Russia

Time: 3:00 pm local time, 8:00 am EST

TV/Streaming: USA (Futbol de Primera Radio, SiriusXM FC, Sling World Cup, Telemundo, Fox Sports 1, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo), Canada (RDS GO, TSN4, TSN5, TSN GO, TSN3, RDS, TSN1, TSN Radio 1040 - 1410), Germany (SRF zwei, Sportschau Live, ZDF, ORF eins, ORF TV Live), India (SONY TEN 3 HD, Sony ESPN HD, SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 3, Sony ESPN, SONY TEN 2 HD, Sony LIV)

Full Listings: Your country (via livesoccertv.com)

Poland vs Senegal — Group H

Like James, Robert Lewandowski launches his World Cup campaign for Poland on Tuesday. Unlike James, Lewandowski is far and away the most important member of his team. Lewy scored 16 goals during qualifications, besting Portugal’s Ronaldo by a goal. The question now is whether he can score at the tournament—or at least assist his teammates with his play. Opposite Lewy, Senegal features Liverpool’s Sadio Mané, who scored 20 goals this season. Although Poland is slightly favored to win, the outcome is far from certain.

Location: Spartak Stadium, Moscow, Russia

Time: 6:00 pm local time, 11:00 am EST

TV/Streaming: USA (FOX Network, Sling World Cup, SiriusXM FC, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Futbol de Primera Radio, Telemundo), Canada (TSN5, TSN Radio 1040 - 1410, RDS GO, TSN3, RDS, TSN1, TSN GO, TSN4), Germany (Sportschau Live, ZDF, ORF eins, ORF TV Live, SRF zwei), India (Sony LIV, Sony ESPN, SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 3, SONY TEN 3 HD, Sony ESPN HD, SONY TEN 2 HD)

Full Listings: Your country (via livesoccertv.com)

Russia vs Egypt — Group A

The burning question leading up to this match is whether Mohamed “Mo” Salah will be fit to play for Egypt in this crucial match. Salah was forced to watch from the sidelines as Egypt succumbed to Uruguay after a valiant effort. This match is a must-win for the Egyptians. Another defeat would end their campaign, if Uruguay beat Saudi Arabia as expected. Egypt have a fighting chance, though, given the overall weakness of Group A: Russia hammered Saudi Arabia 5-0, but another such drubbing by the hosts is unlikely to say the least. But Egypt absolutely need their superstar to give them the edge. The odds are currently against them.

Location: St. Petersburg Stadium, St. Petersburg, Russia

Time: 9:00 pm local time, 2:00 pm EST

TV/Streaming: USA (Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Telemundo, FOX Network, Futbol de Primera Radio, Sling World Cup, SiriusXM FC), Canada (TSN Radio 1040 - 1410, RDS GO, RDS, TSN5, TSN4, TSN3, TSN GO, TSN1), Germany (Sky Go Deutschland, ORF eins, SRF zwei, ZDF, Sportschau Live, Sky Sport UHD Germany, ORF TV Live), India (SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 2 HD, Sony ESPN, SONY TEN 3 HD, Sony LIV, SONY TEN 3, Sony ESPN HD)

Full Listings: Your country (via livesoccertv.com)

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