Africa-Press – Rwanda. Senegal will have to step up the accelerator at the Al Thumama Stadium on Friday, November 25, against Qatar if they are to stand a chance of progressing to the next stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The African champions lost 2-0 to the Netherlands in their opening game whereas Qatar were also beaten 2-0 by Ecuador.
A defeat for any of the two teams is likely to effectively bring their participation in the 2022 World Cup to an end as the final Group game may be of no relevance.
The Maroons were very poor in the opening game and could not stand the might of Ecuador. Qatar head coach Felix Sanchez attributed his side’s abysmal showing against Ecuador to “pressure” and getting “nervous” at the big stage.
It will be interesting to see if the players of the host nation have overcome the nervousness.
Senegal, who are not new to the big stage fumbled in the final minutes of their game against the Netherlands as they conceded two late goals. Coach Aliou Cisse failed to accept his mistake of poor game management but rather apportioned blame to his leading attackers Dia and Krepin Diatta.
Sanchez will definitely make changes in his starting lineup. Mohammed Muntari, a Ghanaian striker playing for Qatar as a naturalized citizen was superb when he came on against Ecuador. Either skipper Hassan Al Haydos or Almoez will be sacrificed for Muntari in the first eleven.
Senegal’s left-back Abdou Diallo who got injured in the game against the Netherlands has been declared fit for the game. The only absentee will be central midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate who was also stretched off in the first game.
Qatar on the other hand have all their players fully fit.
But for the Teranga Lions, there’s still reason for optimism. They may have been beaten by the Netherlands, but their next opponents — Qatar (FIFA ranked No. 51) and Ecuador (46) — are two of the seven lowest-ranked seven teams in the tournament.
Even without Sadio Mane, Senegal has the quality to take six points and progress. But football defies logic and anything can happen.
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