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Qatar vs Senegal – World Cup: Team news, possible lineups & prediction.
Friday’s pivotal Group A match between Senegal and World Cup hosts Qatar will take place at the Al Thumama Stadium.
Qatar vs Senegal in the second round of Group A fixtures at the 2022 World Cup is a must-win game for both teams.
Both teams lost their respective openers, with Ecuador outplaying Qatar in the tournament’s opening match on Sunday. The following day, Senegal fell to the Netherlands.
The World Cup for either of these teams is still ongoing. But winning this game in what each team will probably now consider being their most favourable match is essential going into the final round of group games.
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Team News:
Both backup goalkeepers have played in pre-tournament friendlies, and Qatar’s Saad Al Sheeb looked quite shaky in the game against Ecuador.
Meshaal Barsham is the obvious candidate if Sanchez decides to switch things up because he saved the crucial penalty in their 2021 Arab Cup final triumph against Egypt and is thought to be less unpredictable.
Al Sheeb was one of four players issued warnings on Sunday, and because Karim Boudiaf, Ali, and Afif, three strikers, are also unable to play against the Dutch, all of them face suspension.
As one of the five centurions likely to start, captain Hassan Al Haydos will play in midfield and earn his 171st cap for Qatar.
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Abdou Diallo was forced to leave the match against Holland due to cramps, but Senegal has stated that he is healthy and can return to training right away.
That will be a comfort because Diallo had been filling in as a temporary left-back due to Fode Ballo-injury Toure’s in the weeks leading up to the championship game.
Cheikhou Kouyate, a midfielder for Nottingham Forest, is less lucky because he was forced to leave the game due to a muscular injury of his own.
After his disastrous performance on Monday, Edouard Mendy may be replaced, with Seny Dieng of the Queens Park Rangers reportedly ready to step in.
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Possible Lineup:
Qatar’s possible starting lineup:
Barsham; Pedro Miguel, Khoukhi, Salman, A Hassan, Ahmed; Al Haydos, Boudiaf, Hatem; Ali, Afif
Senegal’s possible starting lineup:
Dieng; Sabaly, Koulibaly, Cisse, Diallo; I Gueye, N Mendy; Ndiaye, I Sarr, Diatta, Dia
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Score prediction:
In the opening round of group matches, both nations suffered defeats by a score of 2-0. Even without the loss of icon and national star Sadio Mane, Senegal played arguably the better opposition and had players with more club experience.
In their first-ever World Cup game, Qatar played poorly, and it seems unlikely that their fortunes will turn around.
Prediction: Qatar 0-2 Senegal