'We are feeling very good' - Popovic confident as Australia brace for Egypt in World Cup clash

The Socceroos are aiming to book a place in the round of 16, where a meeting with either Argentina or Cape Verde awaits the winners.

Standing in their way, however, is an Egypt side that could yet be boosted by the return of their captain Salah, whose fitness remained uncertain because of injury.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the former Liverpool forward, Popovic said Australia has planned for every possibility.

"We are prepared for both scenarios," Popovic said.

"We have analysed the matches where Salah played and the matches where he was absent. We looked at the players who replaced him, so we are ready for either situation. Tomorrow we will see what the decision is."

Australia reached the knockout stage after collecting four points in Group D with one win, one draw and one defeat. Popovic believed his squad has grown stronger with every match and deserves the opportunity to compete on football's biggest stage.

"We are feeling very good," he said. "We know we earned this achievement and showed our quality in the group stage. We feel relaxed, confident and prepared."

"Tomorrow we want to produce our best performance. We have great respect for Egypt because, like us, they also want to win their first knockout match. It will be a special occasion, and we are proud to have come this far. We want to represent Australian football on the world stage once again."

The Australian coach praised his players for the progress they had made during the tournament, particularly after their performance against Paraguay.

"I've seen significant growth in the boys," Popovic said. "The way they responded in the second half of the last match made us very proud."

"Against Paraguay we showed maturity, confidence, composure and resilience. Those are qualities you need at this level, and I'm convinced the boys are ready to take another step forward."

Popovic also reflected on the knockout stage so far, noting how demanding World Cup football becomes once every match is do-or-die.

"Knockout matches are always different," he said. "We've seen games decided by penalties, which are exciting for the fans, and others, like Spain's win, where one team took control from the start."

"We have always believed we belong at this level, and tomorrow we have another chance to prove that on the pitch."

READ MORE: Mohamed Salah fitness leaves Egypt waiting ahead of Australia World Cup clash