Head coach Patrick Vieira has named a 4-4-2 with Kalidou Koulibaly, captain and back in the starting XI, and Boulaye Dia in attack alongside Nicolas Jackson, for the visit of Sudan this Thursday, 12 November, on matchday 3 of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
Senegal host Sudan this Thursday, 12 November 2026 at 19:00 GMT at the Stade Léopold-Sédar-Senghor, on matchday 3 of Group J in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers. According to the official line-ups revealed by Pressafrik and Foot-Africa, Patrick Vieira is going with a 4-4-2. Yehvann Diouf starts in goal behind a defence of Sadibou Sané, Kalidou Koulibaly, Moussa Niakhaté and El Hadji Malick Diouf.
In midfield, Lamine Camara (AS Monaco) and Dion Lopy are paired together, with Ibrahim Mbaye on the left flank and Iliman Ndiaye on the right. Up front, Boulaye Dia (Stade Rennais) and Nicolas Jackson form the attacking duo. Koulibaly, 35, starts and wears the captain’s armband, back in the starting XI. The referee is Abongile Tom, and kick-off is at 19:00 GMT, 20:00 in Paris.
Dia and Ndiaye in attack, three absentees
Boulaye Dia, with 5 goals in Ligue 1 this season for Rennes, is 7th in the scoring charts according to ligue1.com. Iliman Ndiaye, 26, signed by Manchester City for €70m last summer, is still waiting for his first goal for the Citizens and has hit the post 4 times, reports Wiwsport.
The Senegal bench includes Pape Matar Sarr and Malang Sarr, according to Pressafrik. Sadio Mané, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Krépin Diatta, however, are absent from the squad, as indicated by DAZN and OneFootball.
A tight group J on points
In the Group J table, Senegal sit 2nd with 4 points, level with Mozambique, while Sudan are 3rd with 3 points, according to DAZN. The Sudanese are therefore just a point behind the Lions.
The statistics favour Senegal, unbeaten against Sudan. The two teams have met recently: a 3-1 in the round of 16 at the AFCON in January 2026 and a 2-0 in September 2025, according to Transfermarkt.
A return to Khartoum four days later
After this match, Senegal will travel to Khartoum to face Sudan again on 16 November.