James Kwesi Appiah‘s men head into this clash following a goalless draw against Oman in a friendly last week, extending their unbeaten run to four matches — momentum they will look to build on as they fight to stay top of the standings

Tipped as favourites to top Group B, Senegal now find themselves in second place with eight points from two wins and two draws under the guidance of Pape Thiaw.

The former Senegal international was appointed in December 2024 following the dismissal of Aliou Cisse, who oversaw their previous World Cup qualifying fixtures.

The Teranga Lions made a flying start to their campaign with a 4-0 demolition of South Sudan, but they were held to a goalless stalemate by Togo three days later before heading to the AFCON in Ivory Coast.

What began as a dominant showing, with a perfect nine points in the group stage, ended in heartbreak as they crashed out on penalties to the hosts in the round of 16.

That remains Senegal’s only defeat since, with the West Africans currently on a 12-match unbeaten streak across competitive and friendly fixtures.

Two of those encounters formed part of their four World Cup qualifiers so far, yielding a draw against Congo DR and a 1-0 victory over Mauritania in the June 2024 double-header.

Senegal then stamped their authority in the AFCON preliminaries, finishing top of Group F with five wins and a draw to confirm their ticket to Morocco.

They later secured a spot at the CHAN tournament with a commanding 4-1 aggregate victory over Liberia, following up a 1-1 away result with a dominant 3-0 display on home soil.

Now aiming for a place in the World Cup, Thiaw’s men have the chance to leapfrog Sudan at the summit of Group B, and they can take confidence from their flawless record in this fixture, having won all three previous meetings — one in a friendly and the other two in AFCON qualifiers.