Senegal and Ecuador both have the opportunity to progress into the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup 2022 when the two sides clash in their final Group A fixture at the Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan on Tuesday, November 29.
Ecuador find themselves in the second spot on the table with four points from their first two games while Senegal are just behind them in third with three points. The Netherlands who face Qatar are the current group-leaders with four points.
Ecuador began their campaign in fine fashion with a 2-0 win over hosts Qatar courtesy a brace from captain Enner Valencia. The victory also made Qatar the first host national to lose the opening game of a World Cup. Valencia was at hand again in their second game to score the equaliser in a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands.
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The three goals so far mean Valencia is only the fourth player in history to score six consecutive World Cup goals for a nation, having netted the last three in the 2014 campaign. He’ll fancy his chances to extend that record against Senegal.
A draw will be enough for Ecuador to progress to the last 16, matching their best-ever World Cup performance achieved in Germany back in 2006.
Senegal, on the other hand, need a win to progress to the knockouts, although a draw could see them go through provided Qatar manage to beat Netherlands by two goals or more, which seems improbable.
Senegal started their World Cup 2022 campaign with a late 2-0 defeat to the Netherlands, conceding twice in the final 10 mins of the game. They then managed a 3-1 win against host Qatar to keep their hopes of qualifying alive.
The reigning African champions have reached the World Cup quarter-finals in their debut campaign in 2002 but were eliminated in the group stage on fair play points in their second visit in 2018 when they finished level with Japan.
They’ve played South American opposition twice at the World Cup, drawing 3-3 with Uruguay in 2002 and losing 1-0 to Colombia in 2018. Ecuador on the other hand have never faced an African nation at the World Cup finals.
Ecuador vs Senegal Team News:
Talismanic captain Enner Valencia picked up a knock on his knee in the first game and then had to be carried off the field on a stretcher against Netherlands. It remains to be seen if he’s fit to start this tie, although local reports suggest Valencia should be in the Starting XI.
Defender Abdou Diallo returned for Senegal in their last game and the Lions of Teranga do not have any fresh injury concerns after their last win against Qatar.
Ecuador vs Senegal Head-to-Head: Ecuador and Senegal have met just once in the past when they played a pre-World Cup friendly back in 2002. That match ended with the African nation clinching a 1-0 victory.
Senegal vs Ecuador Possible XIs:
Ecuador Possible Starting 11 (4-4-2): Galindez; An. Preciado, Torres, Hincapie, Estupinan; Plata, Mendez, Caicedo, Ibarra; Valencia, Estrada.
Subs: Dominguez, Ramirez, Arboleda, Arreaga, Pacho, Porozo, Palacios, Gruezo, Cifuentes, Franco, Sarmiento, Ar. Preciado, Mena, Reasco, Rodriguez.
Senegal Possible Starting 11 (4-2-3-1): Mendy; Sabaly, Koulibaly, Cisse, Diallo; Gueye, Mendy; Sarr, Dia, Diatta; Diedhiou.
Subs: Dieng, Gomis, Mendy, Ballo-Toure, Jakobs, N'Diaye, Gueye, Loum, Ciss, Name, Sarr, Kouyate, Ndiaye, Jackson, Dieng.
Ecuador vs Senegal Form Guide (Last five games):
Ecuador: D-D-D-W-D
Senegal: W-W-D-L-W
Betting odds (bet365)
Ecuador win: 2.45
Draw: 3.20
Senegal win: 3.10
South Korea vs Ghana Prediction: While Senegal looked good in their 3-1 win against Qatar and did manage to keep Netherlands at bay for most of the game, we still think Ecuador could nick this if Enner Valencia is fit to start up front. The Ecuador captain needs only a sniff to convert and could play a big role in this game.
Where to watch and kick-off timing: The match will kick off at 8:30 PM IST on Tuesday, November 29 and will be beamed live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD. Fans can also stream the action online on JioCinema’s official website and Jio Cinema app.
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