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England reaches the knockouts of the World Cup two times in a row and now is set to face Senegal in the last 16 of the tournament. With a stronger side almost from top to bottom, the three Lions are clear favorites but the maths isn’t as easy as it appears against Senegal. England is one of only three teams in this tournament out of 32 to qualify for the knockouts without a defeat.

Senegal on the other hand had to fight until the last minute to secure a place in the last 16 competing minute to minute against their group opponent, Ecuador. The African side clinched two points more than the South American side for a second-place finish in Group A. For the win, the two teams clashed against each other in the final round of the competition’s group stage. The match saw Senegal becoming the victors with a score of 2-1.

Competing for the last eight, England seems a bit more qualified or notably more formidable than the Lions of Teranga but plenty of Senegalese individuals have been playing or rather going head-to-head with English players in the Premier League. It’s just the current names of the one-time world champion have slightly higher profiles in the footballing world.

England Vs Senegal Team News And Expected Lineups

To start with England, Kyle Walker, who returned to action in the match against Wales, is quite all locked up to start from now onwards. The other untouchables from here on will be Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, and John Stones, particularly in the defense. The midfield is a big subject of England that even critics failed to predict. While Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are quite certain to be seen in this as well as many more matches to come, who else will be supporting them will remain in question throughout the competition with choices available in Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips, or Mason Mount. A similar level of a dilemma is regarding who will start in the two slots available alongside forward Harry Kane. Will it be Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, or Bukayo Saka?

As for Senegal, a notable absentee is Everton defensive midfielder Idrissa Gueye. The 33-year-old engine in the midfield will miss out on the clash against England for the second yellow card of the tournament he received in the match with Ecuador. Nottingham Forest midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate will still be sidelined because of the ankle injury he suffered in the first game of Senegal versus the Netherlands. Subsequently, Leicester City defender Nampalys Mendy could be handling the vacant position. The nation’s forward has been overseen so far by Watford winger Ismaila Sarr, Salernitana forward Boulaye Dia, and Sheffield United’s Illiman Ndiaye. In the very area, Alanyaspor striker Famara Diedhiou and Monaco winger Krepin Diatta could also be potential starters. Unquestionable in Senegal’s starting eleven of course is Chelsea’s shot stopper, Eduardo Mendy, and defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

Possible Starting Lineup

England: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Henderson, Bellingham; Rashford, Kane, Foden

Senegal: E. Mendy; Sabaly, Koulibaly, Diallo, Jakobs; P. Gueye, N. Mendy, Ciss; Ndiaye, Dia, Sarr

England Vs Senegal Predictions

As mentioned above, almost every Senegalese players have as much an experience of high-quality games of EPL as England. But then again, England has always been a hard team to extract clear maths off of. They were fantastic against Iran in their opening game but appeared too dull in the next match versus the not-too-good USA. Nevertheless, in the last two matches of their group stage, they put extra effort into their defense which seemingly worked for them so expect that in the game against Senegal as well.

The problem with that though is the Brits ironically come across as ineffective and creativity less despite having top-tier finishers up front. If they use the right tactics, England does have enough to beat Senegal but their coach, Gareth Southgate has often received criticism for not starting the appropriate players. They may still beat Senegal but it might not be a rout. Bet on the Three Lions starting slow similar to the way they played versus Wales. For this game, England is very much likely to go with the 4-3-3 which somehow has worked for them well so far. While the bookmakers have no strong lean on here despite their uneasiness to drift away from England as the ultimate winner, it is very likely that the game won’t have too many goals.

We wherefore are also going with the British victory.

Projected Scoreline: England 2-1 Senegal

England Vs Senegal Previous Meetings

The FIFA World Cup 2022 is the first time ever that England and Senegal are meeting each other.

England Vs Senegal Recent Odds

source: bet 365

England Vs Senegal Previous Stats Of Each Team