Senegal are into the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time since 2002, as the Lions of Teranaga face England this evening with a very strong chance of making the last eight of the tournament.
Cisse’s side finished 2nd in Group A behind the Netherlands, losing only to the Dutch and winning against Qatar and Ecuador, beating the latter 2-1 to secure their place in the knockouts.
However, Senegal may have to face Gareth Southgate’s team without their manager Aliou Cisse, who has been unwell for the past few days.
Cisse captained the 2002 Senegal side that reached the quarter-finals in South Korea/Japan, but it now looks unlikely that he will manage his nation in their first knockout game for 20 years.
Jour de match – les lions sont prêts
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Game day – the lions are ready #football #senegal pic.twitter.com/i7cwaxc8VF— Football Senegal (@FootballSenegal) December 4, 2022
Regis Bogaert, Cisse’s assistant, broke the news of his colleague’s absence in a press conference, reiterating that the African side remain with the belief they can beat England, but admitted the team are still developing.
“We are feeling calm and confident. We know that Senegal can beat England, that is what we are aiming for.
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“Four years ago we went through that experience but the team has grown, we lost and won an AFCON]final and the team is developing and becoming more mature.”
The match between England and Senegal kicks off this evening at 19:00.