Senegal have qualified for the knockout stages for just the second time in their history despite the absence of star player Sadio Mane. A defeat to the Netherlands in the first round was not the start Aliou Cisse’s lions would’ve been hoping for but strong victories over hosts Qatar and Ecuador secured their progress into the round of 16.
They will be meeting an unbeaten England side who finished at the top of group B. The English are favourites to progress with many of their pundits and supporters already expecting to play France in the quarterfinals.
All 26 members of the Senegalese squad play for European clubs, with premier league stars, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Cheikhou Kouyate, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Nampalys Mendy being no strangers to their English opponents and their style of play.
The arrogance of the English could very well be their downfall as this is not a Senegalese team making up the numbers, they are the champions of Africa with European stars and champions league winners.
The Senegalese should not be underestimated, this is not the Senegal team of 2018 that got knocked out in the group stages. This is a team full of superstars looking to make history and cement their status as Senegal’s golden generation.
👀 “I’m going to stick my neck out here… We’ll dominate Senegal.”
🏴 “We’ll send them home, breeze through it. France is who I’m looking at.”
Jamie O’Hara is so confident of #ENG beating #SEN, he’s already eying up the quarter-final v France#FIFAWorldCup #TSWorldCup pic.twitter.com/hn18HvGyso
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) November 30, 2022
🎙 "There's something inside them that allows them to go that extra mile"
African football specialist Gary Al-Smith says Senegal 'have the talent' and they're a 'strong' team ahead of Sunday's game against England 🇸🇳 pic.twitter.com/jgDKLIYz6l
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 1, 2022
Photo: Twitter/@SenegalEnglish