Without Mamadou Sarr, out with a left calf injury, or Krepin Diatta, substituted at Watford, head coach Patrick Vieira will have to make do with a reshuffled defence to host Sudan on Thursday in Dakar. El Hadji Malick Diouf is the option at left-back since Ismail Jakobs’s retirement.
Senegal host Sudan on Thursday 13 November at the Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar, in Group J of the qualifiers for AFCON 2027, according to All Football. Patrick Vieira, the head coach, must contend with a packed treatment room and a defence to rebuild.
Vieira’s second squad, marked by the absence of Sadio Mané, excused to stay with his family, and that of Idrissa Gana Gueye, includes four first-time call-ups: Pathe Mboup, Pape Demba Diop, Clayton Diandy and Paul Mendy. Two further withdrawals, those of Mamadou Sarr and Krepin Diatta, complicate preparations still further three days before the fixture.
Second place at stake
The context in Group J is tight. Senegal are second with four points, level with Mozambique but behind on goal difference (+1 against +3), again according to All Football. Sudan are third with three points, after a 4-1 defeat in Maputo.
A home win would allow Vieira’s men to pull clear of their direct rivals and stay on Mozambique’s heels. A poor result, on the other hand, would complicate matters before the return match, scheduled for Monday 16 November.
History favours Senegal: in the eight meetings between the two national teams, they have never lost, recording five wins and three draws, according to All Football. Senegal will want to extend that run.
Vieira’s first matches
Patrick Vieira’s first competitive match in charge of Senegal ended in a 1-1 draw in Mozambique on 25 September. Four days later, Senegal beat Ethiopia 1-0 in Bahir Dar, thanks to a goal from Ibrahim Mbaye in the 11th minute, despite 61% possession.
On 4 October, a 1-0 friendly win against the Comoros in Marseille, through a goal from Iliman Ndiaye in the 5th minute, took the run to three consecutive matches. Senegal scored just one goal in each of them and conceded only one in total.
A reshuffled defence and attack
With Ismail Jakobs having retired from international football, El Hadji Malick Diouf is the option at left-back. Kalidou Koulibaly captains a defence that also includes Moussa Niakhate.
Up front, Habib Diarra, Ismaila Sarr and Abdallah Sima are also unavailable. Nicolas Jackson, Ibrahim Mbaye, Iliman Ndiaye and Boulaye Dia are the main attacking options.
Mamadou Sarr is absent because of a left calf injury sustained in Real Sociedad’s 1-1 draw with Lyon in the Europa League, and his club indicated he would be out for at least two to three weeks. Krepin Diatta, forced off in Watford’s Championship match against Middlesbrough on 7 November, has been replaced in the squad by Sevilla defender Arouna Sangante.
On the Sudanese side, no injuries or suspensions have been reported.