Our prediction for this Africa Cup of Nations 2024 match:
Senegal
Match Time & Date:
10/01/2022
08:00 AM
Prediction: 3-1
Zimbabwe
Senegal will look to kick off their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations campaign in style when they take on Zimbabwe in Bafoussam on Monday afternoon. The Lions of Teranga are seen as one of the main favourites to win the tournament in Cameroon, but they will have to prove their worth on the field. Watford ace Ismaila Sarr misses the opener with injury, but Liverpool superstar Sadio Mane should pose a big threat to the opposition defenders.
Yet another man to watch in the home team will be Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, failed to impress at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, with the team losing to both Egypt and Congo, while sharing the spoils with Uganda in the group stages. Since Lyon attacker and Zimbabwe key player Tino Kadewere has yet to find the net 2021/2022 Ligue 1 campaign, we are tempted to put our money on Sadio Mane and Co.
Highlighted Player (Sadio Mané):
Sadio Mane is a Senegalese footballer who plays for Liverpool as a winger. Mane was born in Sedhiou Senegal on April 10, 1992, but he made his senior debut at French club Metz. In 2012 he moved to Red Bull Salzburg, with the pacey winger scoring 31 goals in 63 appearances for the club in the Austrian Bundesliga.
Mane then decided to take a step forward in his career as he joined famous Premier League club Liverpool for a fee of £34 million, signing a five-year contract with the Reds. The Senegal international quickly established himself as a first-team regular at Liverpool and, no doubt, he helped the Anfield outfit make it to the 2017/2018 Champions League final.
Speaking of trophies, Sadio Mane won the Austrian Bundesliga with Salzburg in the 2013/2014 season. In 2017 he was named Liverpool player of the year for the 2016/2017 season. Sadio Mane made his Senegal debut in 2012 and he was part of the Senegal team that participated at the 2012 Olympic tournament.
Highlighted Team (Zimbabwe):
The Zimbabwe national team were known as the Southern Rhodesia national team from 1939 t0 1964 and they played under the name of Rhodesia until 1980. They became Zimbabwe in 1980 and they played their first World Cup qualifying game against Cameroon, losing 2-1.
The Warriors have yet to qualify for the World Cup finals, but it has to be noted that they qualified for the 2017 African Cup of Nations. Zimbabwe faced the likes of Swaziland, Guinea and Malawi in Group L and they clinched top position in their qualifying group, three points clear of second-placed Swaziland. The Warriors play their home games in yellow shirts and yellow shorts, while the colour of their away kit is green.
National Sports Stadium is considered Zimbabwe’s home stadium and the capacity of the venue is 60,000. The team recorded their biggest win on 26 August, 1990 as they rolled over Botswana 7-0 in Gaborone.
