Chelsea and Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.BackpagePix.

Afcon 2021: ‘Edou is back’ – Senegal confirm return of Mendy for Malawi clash

Senegal have confirmed the return of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy ahead of their third Africa Cup of Nations fixture against Malawi in Bafoussam on Tuesday.

Mendy tested positive prior to the Lions of Teranga’s opener against Zimbabwe which they won 1-0 and then missed the second match against Guinea, which ended in a 0-0 draw.

Article continues below

However, despite announcing Mendy's return on their social media pages, Senegal could not divulge whether he will be involved against the Flames.

“Edou is back”, Senegal wrote with a thumbs-up emoji accompanying the post which also had Mendy's pictures training with the rest of the squad.

Despite the return of Mendy, who made his debut for the national team in a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea on November 18, 2018, the Lions of Teranga did not give any news on captain Kalidou Koulibaly, who had also tested positive for Covid-19.

Other players in the Senegal squad, who had tested positive before the tournament kicked off include striker Famara Diedhiou, Saliou Ciss, Bamba Dieng, Mame Baba Thiam, Pape Matar Sarr, Nampalys Mendy, and second-choice custodian Alfred Gomis.

Senegal are also without striker Ismaila Sarr, who was allowed to travel to Spain for further treatment on his knee injury.

Sarr, who turns out for Premier League side Watford, was not available for the team’s clash against Zimbabwe, and he travelled immediately after the game to see a specialist in Spain and thus missed the subsequent game against the Syli Nationale.

The Lions of Teranga will have to beat the Flames to stand a chance of reaching the knockout stage as they are currently placed second in the group with four points, the same number as leaders Guinea.

Meanwhile, a win for Malawi will take them through to the Round of 16 as they have three points from two matches.

On the other hand, Zimbabwe probably have no chance to make it to the Round of 16 as they have lost their first two matches and will come up against Guinea seeking to get their first win of the competition in this campaign.

Advertisement