Egypt to Miss Star Players in Friendly Against Korea

Korea will play a friendly match against Egypt in Seoul on Tuesday, ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November.

The Egyptian national football team arrived at Incheon International Airport on Sunday ahead of the match. Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah is sidelined with an unspecified injury, however, depriving fans of a showdown between the Liverpool forward and Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur.

Salah and Son shared the Golden Boot award this season, given to the top scorer in the English Premier League, with 23 goals.

Korea, led by manager Paulo Bento, needs to strengthen its defense. Without key defender Kim Min-jae of Fenerbahçe S.K. and midfielder Jung Woo-young of Al Sadd due to injuries, Korea has had difficulty showing an organized and stable defense.

The three friendlies Korea played earlier this month against South American teams were seen as "rehearsals" for the country's match against Uruguay, its opener in the upcoming World Cup.

Egypt was chosen to prepare for Ghana, which Korea will face in its second group stage match in the World Cup. But Egypt will take the field without many key players including Omar Marmoush of Stuttgart and Mohamed Elneny of Arsenal as well as Salah, suggesting it may not be able to perform at its best.

Korea, ranked 29th in the world, has an even head-to-head record against No. 32 Egypt with five wins, seven draws and five losses.

Tuesday's match will be broadcast live by TV Chosun.