Ndala, was in charge when Salah and his teammates won the shootout against Cote d’Ivoire in the African Cup of Nations round of 16 in January
By Kehinde Okeowo
Liverpool duo, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah will go head to head, as The Teranga Lions battle The Pharaohs for a place at the 2022 Qatar World Cup later this year.
The first leg is billed to take place on Friday, 25th March at the Cairo Stadium, less than two months after their clash in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final on February 6.
Senegal will welcome Egypt to the Stade Olympique de Diamniadio, Dakar four days later for the return leg of the encounter.
Senegalese coach, Aliou Cissé ahead of the game has rejected the assertion that his team are favourites ahead of Carlos Queiroz’s men being African Champions.
“We are champions of Africa, but we are not favourites, because the statistics say that all the teams that have been African champions have not qualified for the World Cup,” Cisse said recently in a press conference via Foot Mercato.
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Congolese referee Jean Jacques Ndala has been appointed to take charge of Egypts’ clash at home to Senegal in the first leg of a mouthwatering World Cup qualifying playoff on 25 March.
Ndala, 34, was in charge of Egypt’s 2-2 away draw to Angola in a World Cup qualifier last November as well as the Pharaohs’ shootout win over Cote d’Ivoire in the African Cup of Nations round of 16 in January.
Ranking
The reigning African champions, Senegal are the highest ranked footballing nation in the continent, they are also 18th in the world, they are followed by Morocco who are 24th, six places behind them.
Egypt are the 4th highest ranked side in Africa and they are ranked 34th in the world by FIFA, meaning they are 2 places away from Nigeria who are 32nd in the world.
How did they qualify
Aliou Cisse’s men qualified from Group H ahead of Togo with 16 points, they won 5 of their 6 games and drew 1. Namibia and Congo were the other teams in the group.
Their host in Cairo, Egypt won Group F which consisted of Gabon, fellow North Africans, Libya, and Angola, gathering twice the points tally of Gabon in 2nd position, after winning 4 games and drawing 2.
Players to watch out for
Senegal
Pape Matar Sarr
This could be the second opportunity for many fans to see Tottenham starlet Pape Sarr, who joined for £14.5m in the summer before heading back to Metz on loan.
What makes Sarr so intriguing is that he is yet to figure out his best position. A defensive midfielder by trade, but both Metz and Senegal have used him in more advanced positions in an attempt to take advantage of his impressive on-ball skills.
Abdou Diallo
The Paris Saint-Germain defender made his international debut in March last year but has been almost ever-present, partnering the experienced Kalidou Koulibaly, and allowing Cheikhou Kouyate to play in midfield where he prefers.
On his day, Diallo is a classy operator with a slick left foot and brilliant defensive instincts, with him at the back, Senegal will be close to impassable.
Ismaila Sarr
Ismaila Sarr is going to do a lot of good things in the team, he has been very good for Watford in the past few years and he is an exciting talent.
He is still young, and his qualities are vivid because teams like Liverpool have shown interest, he has played 16 EPL games, scored 5 goals, and made 1 assist this season.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Kalidou Koulibaly, presently is the best defender on the African continent. He successfully kept his place at Napoli since moving from Partenopei in 2014.
The Senegalese has already made a name for himself in the Série A. Kalidou Koulibaly has featured for Napoli over 221 times in the league and has scored 2 goals this season.
Édouard Mendy
Édouard Mendy is the best goalkeeper in the continent at the moment and indeed the whole world. Moving from French Ligue 1 side Rennes to Chelsea, the Senegalese quickly established himself as the number one option in goal for the London-based club.
He kept 16 clean sheets in his first Premier League season with the club. In 2021, in recognition of his performance, Édouard Mendy was awarded the UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year. He also won the 2021 AFCON with Senegal.
Sadio Mane
Mane has an eagle eye for goal and helped Liverpool claim their sixth UEFA Champions League in 2019 after falling to Real Madrid in the previous edition in 2018.
Mane is known for his high intensity, speed, and sprint. He’s been among Liverpool’s most outstanding players in the last few seasons. He is a prolific goalscorer, with some unique abilities such as finishing, speed, and trickery in possession.
Egypt
Mohamed Elneny
Mohamed Elneny is a standout player for Egypt, he is an experienced player at the top level and always consistent for Arsenal when he gets the chance to play.
He is just as important for Egypt in the midfield as Mo Salah is in the attack. He has one assist to his name for the Gunners this season despite playing few games.
Mohamed El-Shenawy
Mohamed El-Shenawy has been one of the most outstanding goalkeepers on the African continent. The 32-year old has been in between the sticks for the most successful Egyptian side Al Ahly in domestic and continental football competitions.
He is also the number one option for the national team. His experience will be valuable for Egypt in the qualifier against Senegal.
Omar Kamal
Kamal went into the Egypt team in the aftermath of their opening defeat by Nigeria – replacing Akram Tawfik – and it’s perhaps little surprise the Pharaohs didn’t concede since.
The right-back’s rugged displays made him average 4.3 tackles per match and allowed Mohamed Salah ahead of him to express himself without worrying about defensive responsibilities during 2021 AFCON.
Mahmoud Trézéguet
Having represented Egypt at under-20 and under-23 levels, Trézéguet made his full debut for the Egyptian senior side in 2014 at the age of 19 in a friendly against Kenya.
He was named in Egypt’s squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, playing in all three group matches. To date, he has made over 50 appearances for The Pharaohs, scoring 8 goals.
Mohamed Salah
Arguably, Mohamed is one of the best players in the world, well known for his finishing, dribbling, and speed. His goal threat is something to worry about for opposing teams.
He’s known for his ability to quickly spot a loose gap by either finishing from long range or making a tapping. He is the leading goal scorer in EPL by a mile this season, leading his closest rivals by 7 goals.
World Cup History
Senegal are eyeing third participation in the World Cup after 2002 and 2018, while the Pharaohs of Egypt, are seeking a fourth appearance.
Favourite
Though Senegal are 16 places above Egypt in FIFA ranking, they both finished first in their respective groups without losing a game.
Just like the AFCON final, the winner of this encounter will be too close to call, meaning a home win may be crucial to progression. However, the current form favours Senegal slightly.