The fourth Round of 16 tie of the FIFA World Cup 2022 sees the 1966 World Champions England lock horns with the reigning AFCON Champions Senegal at the Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar on Monday, December 5.
The Three Lions were the winners of Group B and are unbeaten in the tournament so far. The Lions of Teranga, on the other hand, finished as the runners-up in Group A after winning two out of their three games, losing only to the mighty Netherlands. Going forward, there is no room for error as 16 nations will be vying for the eight priceless quarterfinal spots.
The last time England got eliminated in the Round of 16 was in 2010 when they were thumped 4-1 by Germany, however The Three Lions have been in formidable form lately. They finished fourth in the 2018 World Cup before finishing as the runners-up in the UEFA Euro 2020.
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Gareth Southgate’s men are inching closer to silverware, and their eyes will be firmly set on the golden trophy this year. There is no doubt that England are aiming for glory this time around, and only a victory against Senegal will temporarily satiate the hunger of the Three Lions.
So far, Southgate’s tactics have seen England overcome obstacles in the form of Iran and Wales. In the other match against the USA, they were held to a goalless draw. The 6-2 decimation of Iran delivered a statement of intent to all the top contenders this time around. The Three Lions showcased their attacking prowess with that stellar win and then went on to show the strength of their bench in the 3-0 win against Wales.
An unbeaten England side will be the biggest and trickiest hurdle in Senegal’s path. It will be interesting to see how the champions of Africa tackle the Three Lions.
No injury concerns in the squad will allow Southgate to field his strongest side against the Lions of Teranga. However, the biggest dilemma for the Englishman would be picking the attackers. The Manchester duo of Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden were superb against Wales in the side’s final group-stage encounter.
Rashford bagged a brace while Foden also got on the scoresheet as the Three Lions notched a comfortable 3-0 win. That means the coach has four options for two positions on either flank. The tactic would be to start with two and utilise the other two as impact substitutions.
Senegal may be the 2021 AFCON Champions, but they are playing in only their third World Cup. In the last edition, they were eliminated in the group stage. In 2002, playing in their first-ever World Cup, the Lions of Teranga reached the quarterfinal stage before getting eliminated after a narrow 1-0 extra-time loss against Turkey.
Aiming for the grand prize will be a tad too optimistic for Aliou Cisse’s troupe, but they would like to go as far as they can and maybe even record their best-ever finish at the grandest stage, causing upsets along the way.
However, that is one thing that is easier said than done. Facing England will undoubtedly be the biggest challenge for Cisse. Senegal won two out of their three games at the group stage, which is not a shoddy record. After losing to the Netherlands in their opening fixture, the Lions of Teranga bounced back with a 3-1 win against Qatar before edging past Ecuador 2-1 in a nail-biting do-or-die clash that earned them an opportunity to play in the Round of 16.
An Ismaila Sarr penalty had given them the lead against Ecuador. That was cancelled out by Moises Caicedo in the 67th minute. It was hard to keep the resilient Lions of Teranga down as they retook the lead just three minutes later via skipper Kalidou Koulibaly.
Koulibaly will be at the heart of defence again, but there are two key players missing for Cisse ahead of this game. Cheikhou Kouyate’s ankle injury is expected to rule the midfielder out of the crucial game against England. To make things worse in midfield, Senegal will also be without Idrissa Gueye, who will serve his suspension in the game against England. The absence of these two players will be a huge blow for Cisse as Senegal look to field strong replacements that deny England from capitalising on the situation.
Team News: No injury concerns for England. Cheikhou Kouyate is doubtful, while Idrissa Gueye is suspended for Senegal.
Form Guide: (Last five matches, most recent first)
England: W - D - W - D - L
Senegal: W - W - L - D - W
Head-to-Head
This will be the first-ever match between the two nations.
Betting Odds: (Bet365)
England: 1.53
Senegal: 7.50
Draw: 3.75
Predicted Line-Ups:
England Possible Starting 11 (4-3-3): Pickford; Trippier, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Bellingham, Henderson; Rashford, Kane, Saka.
Senegal Possible Starting 11 (4-3-3): E. Mendy; Sabaly, Koulibaly, Diallo, Jakobs; P. Gueye, N. Mendy, Ciss; Ndiaye, Dia, Sarr.
Prediction:
England 3 - 1 Senegal
Where to watch and match timing: The match will kick off at 12:30 AM IST on Monday, December 5, and will be beamed live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD. Fans can also stream the action online on JioCinema’s official website.
