Afcon 2021: Senegal vs Cape Verde Preview - Kick-off time, TV channel, squad news

Senegal will continue their quest to clinch their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title when they take on Cape Verde in their Round of 16 fixture at Stade Omnisports de Bafoussam on Tuesday.

Despite taking part in the previous 15 editions of Afcon, the Lions of Teranga are yet to win the title and in the last edition held in 2019 in Egypt, they came close, reaching the final but lost 1-0 to Algeria.

They also reached the final of the 2002 edition but lost to Cameroon 3-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw. In Cameroon, Senegal, led by coach Aliou Cisse, have not been convincing enough as they struggled to reach the knockout stage.

The Lions of Teranga kicked off their Group B campaign with a 1-0 win against Zimbabwe, with Sadio Mane notching the lone goal from the penalty spot in stoppage time, recorded a 0-0 draw against Guinea, and then registered another 0-0 result against Malawi.

On the other hand, Cape Verde reached the knockout stage for the second time in their third appearance as one of the highest-ranked third-placed teams, after finishing third in Group A with four points.

The Blue Sharks kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win against Ethiopia, suffered a 1-0 defeat against Burkina Faso before forcing a vital 1-1 draw against hosts Cameroon.

TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch

Squads & Team News

Senegal have not reported any injuries or Covid-19 related issues ahead of the fixture.

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However, winger Ismaila Sarr, who was allowed to travel to Spain to check on a knee specialist, is yet to return to Cameroon and will thus not be available to face the Blue Sharks.

Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and defender Kalidou Koulibaly are also available after missing the two group phase matches against the Warriors and the Syli Nationale owing to Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Cape Verde suffered a huge blow ahead of the fixture after they confirmed on Monday an outbreak of gastroenteritis in their camp.

The West African nation disclosed eight people in their team were affected by intestinal inflammation which was caused by food poisoning but they could not divulge the names of the players or the officials affected.

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Despite the situation, coach Pedro Brito is confident they have what it takes to stun the Lions of Teranga.

“We have worked hard in our training and facing a team like Senegal is an added motivation, because the match is like a derby,” Brito said.

“They have to respect us as a team the same way we respect them. The competition has seen a lot of surprises, and we hope to be the other team that will cause an upset as our mission is to win the game and move to the next round.”

Match Preview

In the history of Afcon, this will be the first meeting between Senegal and Cape Verde.

Senegal have won three of their last four games in the knockout stage of the competition, with their only defeat in this run coming in the 2019 final against Algeria.

Cape Verde have only played one game in the knockout stage of the tournament previously, losing 0-2 to Ghana in the 2013 quarter-final. They have only one won of their six games in the competition between that defeat and the end of this season’s group stage (W1 D4 L1).

Senegal are the only team to have kept a clean sheet in 100% of their games at this year’s competition (3/3). Indeed, they have allowed the fewest opposition shots on target (three) and also have the lowest expected goals against a total (1.6) in the current tournament.

Cape Verde have only scored six goals in their 10 games in Afcon, at an average of 0.6 per game. A third of their goals in the tournament were scored in a 2-1 win against Angola in 2013, while they have only netted three in seven games since then.

While Senegal, are making their 16th appearance at the Afcon, a record for a team that has never won the trophy, this is Cape Verde’s third appearance, with all the three taking place since 2013.