Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Mauritania
Match Time & Date:
09/06/2024
18:00
Prediction: 0-1
Senegal
Following a shocking 2-0 loss to Sudan, Mauritania will be aiming to record their first win in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers when they face Senegal in Nouakchott. The Lions of Chinguetti obviously struggle in front of goal and, as a result, the bookies see them as underdogs in Sunday’s encounter. All Mahmoud, Diaw, Amar, and El Abd are pushing for a start as boss Amir Abdou is widely expected to shuffle his pack.
The Lions of Teranga, on the other hand, dropped two points in a 1-1 draw with DR Congo. Al Nassr ace Sadio Mane remains in the recovery room, but Senegal boss Aliou Cisse still has a number of high-profile players to choose from. In their last meeting in a competitive match Senegal defeated Mauritania thanks to Lamine Camara’s goal and we predict that history is going to repeat itself.
Highlighted Player (Kalidou Koulibaly):
Despite being born in Saint-Die-des-Vosges, France on June 20, 1991, Kalidou Koulibaly represents Senegal on the international stage. Koulibaly began his youth career at Saint-Die, but he played for Metz at the start of his career as well.
The left-footed defender continued playing for les Grenats at the senior level and it has to be noted that he made 42 appearances in the league for the club before joining Genk in 2012. In 2014 Koulibaly signed a five-year deal with Napoli for a fee of £6.5 million. In August 2014 the Senegal international made his Champions League debut in a 1-1 draw with Athletic Club.
Kalidou Koulibaly is a tall, quick and physically strong footballer, who is impressive in the air. He is capable of playing as both centre and full back. The Napoli defender made his Senegal debut in September 2015 against Namibia. In 2017 he represented the Lions of Teranga at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Highlighted Team (Senegal):
The Senegaesel national football team made their first appearance at Africa Cup of Nations back in 1965, with the team finishing the tournament in fourth place. The Lions of Teranga booked their place at the FIFA World Cup finals in 2002 (for the first time) and they did remarkably well to make it to the quarter-finals of the showpiece tournament in South Korea and Japan.
Senegal defeated Sweden in the last 16, with Henri Camara scoring the winner for the African team in the extra time. The Lions of Teranga have yet to win the African Cup of Nations, but they made it to the final of the tournament in 2002. Senegal faced Cameroon in the title game and they were more than unfortunate to lose the Africa Cup of Nations final on penalties.
Former Liverpool ace El Hadji Diouf is probably the most famous footballer who played for the Senegalese national team. Senegal play their home games at Stade Leopold Sedar Senghor and the capacity of the venue is 60,000.
