Senegal vs Cape Verde Preview

If we take a closer look at Senegal’s progression to the knockout stage, it seems very strange that they’re still in Cameroon. The Lions of Teranga scored just once at the Africa Cup of Nations during added time with a very controversial penalty in my opinion.

Coach Aliou Cisse’s men then went on to play goalless draws with Guinea and Malawi to top Group B, while Zimbabwe were sent home packing after arguably being cheated by referee Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar and scored three goals more than Senegal from open play.

If their first game was also a goalless draw, Senegal would’ve finished fourth with three points and Zimbabwe who had entertained the fans much more would’ve finished equal on four points together with Guinea and Malawi.

Nevertheless, the competition truly starts getting interesting at this point, where defeat means elimination and Senegal are experienced campaigners who understand the task at hand after narrowly missing out on being crowned champions in the most recent edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly returned in their last game and the Senegalese defence, having kept three clean sheets, are well prepared for high-calibre cup football on the international stage where one mistake could cost the team everything.

I expect Sadio Mane to be partnered up top with another forward in a 4-4-2 system with high-octane counter-attacking football being the order of the evening in Bafoussam.

I strongly believe Keita Balde suits Liverpool’s assassin the best in this regard, but it remains to be seen what coach Cisse has up his sleeve, for their “four finals in a row” that would see the Lions of Teranga conquer Africa once again.

Jersey number 11 Garry Rodrigues has caught my eye the most and will be the biggest threat to Mendy keeping yet another clean sheet. The Olympiacos winger is blessed with scintillating pace and tries to isolate defenders into one-on-one situations and then turns on the speed to create very direct attacks that are simple but very lethal, constantly playing the ball across the 18-yard box with concise passing following raw speed – very similar to Wilfried Zaha’s style of play.

Cape Verde will enjoy the spotlight of being centre stage at this massive tournament with millions of fans across the continent watching in keep anticipation. However, I’m afraid this might be a task too great for the Blue Sharks.