Ecuador Vs Senegal - Match Preview
By Kenneth Melheim
Ecuador and Senegal will most likely have to fight it out for a ticket to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The Netherlands only needs to avoid losing by a freak result against the hosts Qatar to secure their spot as one of the two nations that proceeds from Group A.
Heading into the last match of the group stage Ecuador and Netherlands have 4 points each with Senegal sitting at 3 and Qatar still pointless.
Ecuador opened by impressively dismantling Qatar, winning 2-0 in the opening game after two goals from their star striker Enner Valencia. They then went on to get an important. point against the Netherlands, with Valencia yet again providing the goal for La Tri setting the result as 1-1. This leaves them with only the need of one point in the final group game against Senegal.
Image courtesy of Ulf Dietrich, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fifa_world_cup_org.png
Senegal lost their biggest star in Sadio Mane right before the start of the tournament, and they looked like they missed their nation’s all-time top goal scorer as they failed to score against the Oranje in their opening game, losing 2-0. They managed to pick themselves back up for their second group game against Qatar winning 3-1 after goals from Boulaye Dia, Famara Diedhiou ad Bamba Dieng.
Senegal manager Aliou Cisse will hope that his strike force will find their way past Gustavo Alfaro’s defensivly solid Ecuador team as only a win will do if they want to progress further.
Both teams will field the best they have got at their disposal in this final group game.
Ecuador might have to make do without their hero so far in Enner Valencia as he had to come off in their last game with an injury.
Ecuador Predicted line-up:
Galindez; Porozo, Torres, Hincapie; Preciado, Mendez, Caicedo, Estupinan; Plata, Sarmiento; Estrada
Senegal has no known injury concerns and can start with their strongest team.
Senegal Predicted line-up:
Mendy; Sabaly, Koulibaly, Diallo, Jakobs; Sarr, Mendy, Gueye, Diatta; Dia, Diedhiou
The game is played at 3 PM this Tuesday, 29.11.