Luay Ahmed
Senegal v Netherlands Preview
Senegal’s opening match at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, against the Netherlands, will see them line-up without star player Sadio Mane, who was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury sustained with his club side Bayern Munich.
Senegal, who will also face Ecuador and Qatar in Group A, are taking part in their third world cup. Their first participation was the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, which ended in the quarter final stage, while their second participation in Russia, in 2018; saw them eliminated in the group stages.
The Netherlands, one of world football’s most storied sides, are entering the competition with a full-strength squad which includes Barcelona players Frenkie De Jong and Memphis Depay in attack and midfield respectively, with Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk providing leadership in defense.
The Netherlands have reached the final of the World Cup on three occasions, the most recent of which was in 2010, where they lost to an Andres Iniesta goal in extra time against Spain. The following World Cup in Brazil saw them reach the semi-finals, before losing to Argentina in a penalty shootout. In one of the shocks of the 2018 qualifying campaign, the Netherlands failed to qualify to the competition. Having qualified convincingly this time around, they’ll be looking to put their woes from 2018 behind them with a strong start this competition.
Kick-off will be at 19:00 Doha time, at Al Thumama Stadium. Players to watch for are Senegal’s Idrissa Gana Gueye and the Netherlands’ Memphis Depay.
Senegal line-up: Eduoard Mendy, Youssouf Sabaly, Kalidou Koulibaly, Abdou Diallo, Nampalys Mendy, Cheikhou Kouyate, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Pape Abdou Cissse, Krepin Diatta, Ismaila Sarr, Boulaye Dia.
Netherland’s line-up: Andries Noppert, Daley Blind, Nathan Ake, Virgil van Dijk, Matthijs de Ligt, Denzel Dumfries, Steven Berghuis, Frenkie de Jong, Steven Bergwijn, Cody Gakpo, Vincent Janssen.