England will face AFCON champions Senegal this Sunday at the Al Bayt Stadium with both sides looking to book their place in the quarter-finals round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Venue: Al Bayt Stadium (Al Khor)
Key Statistics
England have kept two clean sheets in their last two World Cup games.
They are the top-scoring side so far in the World Cup after three games.
The Three Lions have not lost to an African side at the World Cup (W4, D3).
Senegal have failed to score in one of their last five games.
They have not kept a clean sheet in the World Cup this year.
World Cup trivia: Southgate has accumulated more wins (11) at World Cup finals or European Championships than any other England manager.
Head to head
This game will be the first-ever meeting between both sides.
Latest performances in all competitions
England: W-D-W-D-L
Senegal: W-W-L-D-W
England
England dismissed fears they were unprepared to play the knockout round of the World Cup last time out when they beat Wales 3-0 in their final group game.
Goals from Marcus Rashford who became the first Manchester United player since Bobby Charlton to score three goals at a major tournament for England, and Phil Foden sealed the win for Gareth Southgate’s men and sent them on top of their group.
It was the first time England were topping a World Cup group since 2006 with their nine goals amassed so far already their second-most in any World Cup finals, including knockouts.
Such an incredible record means that it’s becoming hard to ignore the special buzz around Gareth Southgate’s side potentially going one better than their runners-up position at the recent European Championships and ending their infamously long 56-year wait for a major international trophy.
The England manager was notably pleased with the way his players remained disciplined and handled the pressure in front of a large English fanbase, and expectations will be elevated further in this tasty Round of 16 clash against a Senegal side building their own ‘fairytale’ campaign.
But having not lost to an African side in the World Cup (9W4, D3) they will fancy their chances of getting the needed result in this fixture.
Possible England starting line-up
Jordan Pickford, Kieran Trippier, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Senegal
Thanks to an entertaining 2-1 win over Ecuador last time out, Senegal are still in Qatar and with a chance at making history.
The AFCON champions went into the final game of the group stage, needing a win to ensure passage, and they showed up most epically. In a strong first-half showing, Aliou Cissé’s men went one goal up, courtesy of an Ismaïla Sarr penalty. But Ecuador fought back in the second half, with Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo equalising in the 67th minute.
However, three minutes after their equaliser, Chelsea defender and Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly struck to secure maximum points for the African side. The result means that they join Nigeria and Ghana as only the third African nation to qualify for two World Cup knockouts.
They will now look to become the first-ever African nation to beat England at this tournament and will be mildly confident of doing so given their impressive showing against the Netherlands, although they lost the game.
Possible Senegal starting line-up
Edouard Mendy, Youssouf Sabaly, Kalidou Koulibaly, Abdou Diallo, Ismail Jakobs, Pape Gueye, Nampalys Mendy, Pathé Ciss, Iliman Ndiaye, Boulaye Dia, Ismaïla Sarr.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Cheikhou Kouyate
Suspended: Idrissa Gueye
Odds
| Odds-England | Odds-Senegal | % England | % Senegal | |
| To qualify | 1.220 | 4.330 | 77.74 | 22.26 |
| In 90 mins | 1.530 | 7.500 | 62.03 | 12.66 |
| In Extra-time | 9.500 | 26.000 | 8.76 | 3.20 |
| In Penalty | 12.000 | 13.000 | 6.94 | 6.40 |
Prediction
| Anytime Football | England, 2-1 |
| Steve Nicol (ESPN) | England, 2-1 |
| Dan Thomas | Senegal, 1-1 (Penalty) |
| Frank Leboeuf | Senegal, 2-1 |
| Sedum Onuoha | England, 2-1 |
| Julien Laurens | Senegal, 1-1 (Penalty) |
| Mario Melchiot | England 2-1 |
Live Stream
For details, FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 – TV Broadcast / Live Stream
