Senegal's rearguard action to stand firm again
Senegal face off with Equatorial Guinea in the last Africa Cup of Nations quarter final on Sunday evening in their pursuit of the crown.
Equatorial Guinea have not conceded since their opening game of the tournament, a 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast, and they beat Mali on penalties in the round of 16.
The Lions of Teranga have kept four consecutive clean sheets so far, less convincing than they would like to be in the final third but a solid foundation to kick on from in the deeper rounds of the competition.
With Algeria crashing out in the group stage, Senegal are favourites to lift the trophy, especially after Ivory Coast were beaten by Egypt on penalties on Wednesday.
Background
Senegal are improving and have the personnel to suggest that they will be able to break down the National Thunder on at least one occasion on Sunday.
The winner of Burkina Faso v Tunisia will await the winner of this match with Equatorial Guinea coming in as comfortable outsiders despite how rock solid they have been this AFCON.
In Edouard Mendy between the sticks, with Kalidou Koulibaly and Abdou Diallo in front of him, Senegal will be confident of registering another clean sheet in this encounter, with Equatorial Guinea only finding the net twice in the tournament.
Boulaye Dia and Sadio Mane are sure to cause problems in the offensive third and it could be a case of how clinical Senegal can be.
They could relax a lot more in their 2-0 win over Cape Verde in the round of 16 with Mane and Bamba Dieng getting on the scoresheet.
The favourites tag may be looming large but with their valuable experience from 2019, Aliou Cisse’s men look like the best bet to realise their ambition and lift the crown for the first time in their history.
The Lions of Teranga are peaking at the right time and in that they should not be troubled too much by Equatorial Guinea in this fixture.
Due to the outsiders’ defensive solidity in the competition, it may not be a high scoring affair but Senegal’s assured rearguard action should at least ensure they do not have too many scary moments in defence and can establish control over the encounter.
Senegal are rightful strong favourites and the win over Cape Verde will have further fueled belief within the camp.
Post bet chat Marcus's Tips:
3-1 Senegal, the 2019 finalists comfortably progress but not enough to see this bet win.