Dinamo kicked off the defence of their Croatian title with a 2-0 victory over Slaven Belupo on Friday. That was the third match of the season for Mario Kovačević’s men, who progressed to this stage of the UCL by dramatically coming from 3-1 down to defeat Swiss side Thun 4-3 on aggregate. The Blues have reached the main draw of a European competition in each of the last eight years, so will understandably start this fixture as strong favourites as they look to get back to Europe’s top table after a season hiatus. The fact that they have lost only one of their last 16 home continental qualifiers (W11, D4) should inspire confidence of that being the case, while a ten-game unbeaten streak at Stadion Maksimir (W8, D2) is another positive omen working in their favour.
Soccer fixed tips
Lithuanian outfit Kauno Žalgiris have already come through two-legged ties against Drita and Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag to reach this stage of the UCL, beating the latter of those opponents 1-0 on aggregate courtesy of an 85th-minute winner. The 0-0 draw in the first leg ended the Green-Whites’ seven-game run without an away clean sheet in Europe (W2, D1, L4), while it forms part of a nine-match streak without defeat across all competitions (W6, D3). Conceding just four goals in the process further underlines how defence forms the base of their success, which has already ensured they’ll be in the league phase of a major European competition this season for the first time ever regardless of how they fare in this tie. football tips today
Free Soccer Predictions: Egypt vs Russia Preview, Team News & Betting Tips
Free Soccer Predictions Egypt vs Russia Egypt continue their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with an international friendly against Russia at the Misr Stadium in Cairo on Thursday night.
The two nations will meet for the first time since the 2018 World Cup group stage, where host nation Russia secured a convincing 3-1 victory. This time, however, Egypt arrive with renewed confidence and high expectations ahead of their return to football’s biggest tournament.
After missing out on qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Pharaohs responded strongly by topping their CAF qualifying group with an impressive record of eight wins and two draws from 10 matches. Their dominant qualifying campaign secured only the third World Cup appearance in the nation’s history.
Egypt also entered the 2025-26 Africa Cup of Nations as one of the tournament favourites, although their journey ended in disappointment after a narrow semi-final defeat against Senegal and a penalty shootout loss to Nigeria in the third-place playoff.
Despite those setbacks, head coach Hossam Hassan has continued to build a disciplined and competitive squad since taking charge in 2024. Egypt have shown excellent defensive organization in recent months, something that has become a major strength ahead of the World Cup.
The Pharaohs produced an outstanding 4-0 away victory against Saudi Arabia before following it with an impressive goalless draw against reigning European champions Spain in Catalonia. Those performances extended Egypt’s clean-sheet streak to three consecutive matches heading into this friendly encounter.
Hassan will likely use Thursday’s clash as another important test before Egypt face Brazil in their final warm-up game ahead of the World Cup. Ranked 29th in the latest FIFA rankings, Egypt will begin their World Cup campaign with a difficult Group G fixture against Belgium before later facing New Zealand and Iran.
Meanwhile, Russia continue to operate outside competitive international football following FIFA and UEFA suspensions that began after the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Although unable to compete in official tournaments, Russia have remained active through friendly matches and still hold a respectable FIFA ranking of 36th in the world. Over the last five years, Valery Karpin’s side have produced a solid record in non-competitive fixtures, winning 15, drawing eight, and losing only two of their 25 matches.
Russia ended 2025 with a 2-0 defeat against Chile but responded during March’s international break with a 3-1 victory over Nicaragua before drawing 0-0 against Mali.
Interestingly, several of Russia’s recent friendlies have come against African opposition. They also faced Egypt’s Under-23 side twice in September 2023, recording a 1-1 draw before losing 2-1 in the second meeting.
Even though Russia remain difficult to beat in friendly games, the lack of competitive football could become a disadvantage against a well-organized Egyptian team preparing for the World Cup.
Team News
Egypt are expected to field a strong lineup as Hossam Hassan continues preparing his squad for the World Cup. Key attacking stars are likely to feature, while the defensive unit that kept three consecutive clean sheets could remain unchanged.
Russia may rotate parts of their squad as Valery Karpin continues experimenting ahead of future international fixtures, though experienced players are expected to lead the side in Cairo.
Egypt appear to be in stronger form heading into this international friendly and have shown impressive defensive discipline under Hossam Hassan.
Russia still possess quality and experience despite their lack of competitive matches, but Egypt’s organization, home advantage, and growing confidence could prove decisive.
Free Soccer Prediction:
Egypt 2-1 Russia
The hosts should create enough opportunities to edge a competitive encounter and continue their positive momentum ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
