Australia's next World Cup assignment is a knockout meeting with Egypt, with a place in the round of 16 on the line. A win would keep the Socceroos in the tournament and leave them tracking the Argentina-Cape Verde winner in the next round.
The immediate obstacle is Egypt and Mohamed Salah. The forward's fitness is in question after an injury, and his availability for the match remains unresolved. Popovic said his staff have worked through both versions of Egypt's lineup.
"We are prepared for both scenarios," Popovic said. "We have analysed both the matches where Salah played and those where he was absent, observing the players who took his place. We are ready for either situation and tomorrow we'll see what the decision will be."
Australia reached the knockout stage with four points from one win, one draw and one loss in Group D. Popovic pointed to steady progress across the group phase rather than a single standout result.
"We are feeling very good. We know we earned this achievement and have shown our value in the group stage. We feel relaxed, confident, and prepared," he said.
"Tomorrow, we want to deliver our best performance. We have great respect for our opponent: like us, they also want to claim their first win in the knockout stage. It will be a special match and we are happy to have made it this far. We want to represent Australian football on the world stage once again."
Popovic also highlighted a stronger second half in Australia's most recent outing and pointed to the Paraguay fixture as evidence of a more settled side. In that World Cup group match, Australia showed maturity, confidence, composure and resilience — qualities he said are essential at this stage.
"I've seen significant growth in the boys. In the second half of the last match, we were really proud of them. The way they responded shows maturity and a growth that is happening very quickly," Popovic said. "I'm convinced that tomorrow the boys will be ready to take another step forward."
Australia enter the tie ranked 27th in the FIFA standings. Egypt sit 29th after climbing two places in the latest update. Salah's status will shape Egypt's attacking plan; Australia's preparation covers either outcome.
Popovic also noted the wider knockout picture. Several round-of-32 ties have already been settled on penalties, while others have been decided more decisively. He said Australia have long believed they belong at this level and will use the Egypt match to prove it again.
"Knockout matches always have a different level," Popovic said. "We have always believed we have the level to be here, and tomorrow we'll have another chance to prove we deserve this stage."
