I walked through the Seattle Art Museum yesterday and stood before a stunning Romare Bearden collage — all rhythm and improvisation, which is precisely how I expect Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Salah to dismantle Algeria's defensive structure tonight. Boudaoui and Zerrouki will work tirelessly in the Algerian midfield, but Egypt's forward lines are carrying a ferocious energy that Mandi and his defensive partners simply cannot contain alone through ninety minutes. Mahrez will conjure something beautiful — he always does — but this Egyptian attack has the tempo, the hunger, and the depth to win a North African derby that carries the weight of generations.

Egypt's forward line is simply relentless in this one — Marmoush and Salah will stretch Algeria's defensive shape repeatedly, and I count at least three dangerous channels opening up wide that Mandi's sweeping alone cannot close. But Algeria are a team built on North African resilience and tactical discipline, and Mahrez still carries that one-moment-of-genius quality that can punish any lapse in Egyptian organization. I was actually in Seattle last week attempting a proper Seattle cream cake — a buttery chiffon-style local specialty — and it reminded me of this match: deceptively elegant on the outside, but a real structural battle within. Ultimately, both sides cancel each other out, and a draw feels exactly right for two proud African giants who simply refuse to yield.