Senegal predictions, squad details, manager and tournament odds for the World Cup 2022, brought to you by the Ranks FC team.
Reigning African champions Senegal were set to come into this tournament on top of the world, and fan confidence is sky high.
They’d finally won the Africa Cup of Nations, for the first time ever, back in February, and now some were asking: Why not win the World Cup too?
Then disaster struck on the eve of the tournament: Sadio Mane, talisman and key player, sustained an injury that threatened his participation. It’s put a dampener on things to say the least.
Who is the Senegal manager?
It’s manager Aliou Cisse’s job to wade through this and sort it out—and you can bet that he’ll put up a strong front and galvanise his players from here.
A workhorse defensive midfielder as a player and a taskmaster as a manager, he runs a strict operation and keeps a talented group of players grounded.
What tactics can we expect from them at the World Cup?
Cisse’s preferred system is 4-3-3, although he does have some flexibility and has moved into a 4-4-2 at times too.
Whatever the formation, Idrissa Gueye and Kalidou Koulibaly ensure the spine of the team remains solid at all times—and that getting the better of them is a real battle. Against top opposition you can expect a counter-attacking tendency to pervade, and that makes sense given the sheer speed at his disposal.
Who are the players to watch for Senegal?
Ismaila Sarr is responsible for much of that speed. He is electric-fast with or without the ball and should be a key figure in a number of ways.
He is able to break forward into space with the ball, leading Senegal on the counter; he can beat defenders 1v1 in tighter spots; and he’s able to provide a finishing touch in the box too when required.
He always seems to find space to operate on the right, although typically he’s aided by increased defensive attention to the other flank, where Mane usually plays. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares as the main man.
Who is favourite to be top scorer for Senegal?
At the very least, he’ll get help. Senegal have a striker who can facilitate play, distract defences and chip in with goals, and he goes by the name of Boulaye Dia.
Usually more of a support act, he’ll be thrust into a more prominent role now, asked to build on a solid season so far at Salernitana in front of goal.
Typically, Senegal’s play centres around getting Mane into shooting positions, but that must now change. A guy like Dia must see this as an opportunity, rather than a burden.
Betfred
- Huge range of regular promotions
- 24/7 live chat service
- PickYourPunt builder for custom bets
How did Senegal qualify for the World Cup?
He’s got good form for that, at least; he was the one who scored the playoff goal against Egypt to get them here, a truly brutal game which sealed the Lions of Teranga’s path to Qatar.
Given Senegal had just beaten Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations final, revenge was clearly on the Pharaoh's minds, so to negotiate that challenge took some steel.
What are the ambitions for this Senegal team?
It’s these sorts of victories, these big moments going your way, that can generate such optimism. And that’s why Senegal fans are dreaming; even if Mane can’t make the impact desired, they think they can make a real splash here, starting with qualification from Group A.
From there you never know, but squad quality and sheer momentum puts them in a good spot to make the knockouts.
Senegal World Cup Odds
If you think they could go all the way, Senegal’s odds to win the tournament is 125/1 - odds that have lengthened since the injury to Mane.
