It has been a fabulous year for the Lions of Teranga, having defeated Egypt on penalties to lift the 2021 AFCON title before getting the better of the same opponents to qualify for the World Cup finals in Qatar.
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Senegal, the reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions, take on Benin at the Diamniadio Olympic stadium in the group stage fixture of the qualifiers for the 2023 edition on Friday. It has been a fabulous year for the Lions of Teranga, having got the better of Egypt on penalties to qualify for the World Cup finals in Qatar. Meanwhile Benin missed out on qualification for the 2021 AFCON on goal difference and, with Rwanda and Mozambique being the other two sides in Group L, they’ll be hoping for an easy qualification campaign this time around.
Senegal defeated Egypt 4-2 on penalties to lift the 2021 AFCON title in February and then after 47 days, once again faced off the Pharaohs in the World Cup playoffs. The first leg in Cairo ended 1-0 in favour of Egypt courtesy of Saliou Ciss’ own goal. However, in the home leg, Senegal managed to level the score through yet another own goal, this time by Hamdi Fathi. The match went to the penalties, in which Aliou Cisse’s side won 3-1. Senegal are on an impressive run of form having not tasted defeat in 14 of their last 15 games.
On the other hand, Benin enters the contest on the back of a 1-1 draw against Tonga in March. In an end-to-end game at Mardan Sports Complex, Kodjo Fo Doh Laba and Steve Mounie scored for either side in the opening half to share the spoils. Meanwhile before the draw, the Squirrels registered two consecutive victories, against Liberia (4-0) and Zambia (2-1) respectively. Michel Dussuyer’s side, who are ranked 84th in the FIFA world rankings, head into the tie with four wins from their last eight games across all competitions.
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Cisse’ has picked almost the same squad that won the continental title back in February. Interestingly no Senegal based player finds a place in the squad with all players currently playing their trade at European clubs. Senegal boasts a star-studded lineup consisting of the likes of Liverpool star Sadio Mane, Chelsea-man Edouard Mendy, PSG’s Idrissa Gana Gueye, Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly to name a few.
As for Benin, Dussuyer has named an experienced squad for the upcoming fixtures, including Dijon goalkeeper Saturnin Allagbe, defender Olivier Verdon. 27-year-old Brest forward Mounie, who has over 40 international caps to his name, should lead the attack.
Senegal probable starting lineup: Mendy, Seck, Koulibaly, Cisse, Ciss, Kouyate, Mendy, I Gueye, Mane, Sarr, Sarr, Dia.
Benin probable starting lineup: Allagbe, Adenon, Kiki, Verdon, Assogba, D’Almeida, Ahlnvi, Dosso, Aiyegun, Soukou, Mounie
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Group F qualification match between Senegal and Benin will take place at the Diamniadio Olympic Stadium and it will kick off at 12:30 am IST on Sunday.
According to a report by nilepost.com, Next Media’s Sanyuka Television is set to air the various 2023 AFCON qualifiers, including Algeria vs Uganda. Meanwhile football fans in the Middle-East and North Africa (MENA) can view the match in BeIN Media Group’s flagship sports channel beIN Sports.
