Preview: Senegal vs Netherlands - Predictions, Team News, Lineups

Senegal takes on the Netherlands in Group A of the 2022 World Cup on Monday.
The match will kick off at 4 pm GMT in Al Thumama, Qatar, exactly 24 hours after the home team's opening match against Ecuador on Sunday.

PREVIEW

Source: mirror

Senegal suffered a major blow before the World Cup began, with Bayern Munich striker Sadio Mane ruled out of the tournament due to an injury he sustained in the Bundesliga match against Werder Bremen earlier this month
Head coach Aliou Cisse had hoped that the issue would only prevent his star from playing in the first game or two of the Teranga Lions, but now Cisse will have to adjust his tactical plan to deal with the absence of the former Liverpool player.
Mane, who scored two penalties against Egypt to help Senegal win the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time as well as cement their place in Qatar earlier in the year, has clearly left a huge hole in the attack when only Ismaila Sarr and Famara Diedhiou scored twice.

Source: sbnation

“We have a great chance of also becoming a world champion,” said Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, who is back for a third spell in charge. “There are few coaches who dare to speak out like that, but I say this.” The second statement the Dutch wanted to make at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha revolved around lingering criticisms of the World Cup host country's legislation and human rights record.
The Group A game against African champions Senegal is the perfect early test for the Dutch and a good sign of how far they can go.Meanwhile, the Netherlands entered the World Cup in excellent form under Louis van Gaal, reaching the UEFA Nations League final for the second time in three seasons.
The Netherlands missed out on qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but they advanced to the semi-finals under van Gaal in 2014, eventually losing to Argentina on penalties after 120 minutes of a goalless draw.
Considered by many as the biggest football nation to have never won a World Cup - having lost three finals in 1974, 1978, and 2010 - there is a growing belief that this could be their year. despite the lack of a quality star compared to their previous near misses.
A strong start to Senegal on Monday will be crucial to keeping morale high, with van Gaal perhaps encouraged to take advantage of Mane's aforementioned absence from the opposing team's roster.

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PREDICTED XI

• Senegal

• Netherlands