Group B leaders Senegal are aiming to keep their World Cup qualification campaign on track when they take on D.R. Congo at the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade on Thursday, 6 June.
Aliou Cisse will expect his Senegal side to collect another three points against a D.R. Congo outfit they comfortably beat 3-0 a little over a year ago. Read our expert predictions for this week’s fixture below.
Contents
Senegal vs D.R. Congo prediction: Hosts can excel
Key Stats
- Senegal have won eight of their last ten fixtures in all competitions.
- DR Congo lost their last qualifier 1-0 at Sudan in November.
- Sadio Mane has notched three times in his last five appearances for Senegal.
- Senegal scored at least twice in four of their last six assignments.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Bookies siding with Senegal
- HOME: 8/15 (1.53) – 65.2%
- DRAW: 12/5 (3.40) – 29.4%
- AWAY: 5/1 (6.00) – 16.7%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Check out the rest of our freet predictions for this week’s matches on our football betting tips page.
Last five H2Hs: Senegal have been dominant
African Nations Championship 22/01/23
Senegal
Congo DR
Senegal roared to a 3-0 win over ten-man D.R. Congo when the nations last locked horns in January 2023 and the Lions of Teranga have won each of the last four iterations of this fixture overall since 2009.
Senegal preview: Chelsea’s Jackon to lead the line?
Senegal will be without the services of Salernitana's Boulaye Dia, Granada's Famara Diedhiou, Al-Nassr's Moussa N'Diaye and Adana Demirspor's Pape Abou Cisse for the upcoming internationals.
The rest of their quad looks star-studded however, with Kalidou Koulibaly, Pape Sarr, Cheikhou Kouyate, Nicolas Jackson, Sadio Mane and Ismaila Sarr all present.
Predicted lineup: E.Mendy (GK), F. Mendy, Koulibaly, Niakhite, Jacobs, Gueye, P.Sarr, N. Mendy, I. Sarr, Mane, Jackson
Africa Cup of Nations Qualification 09/09/24
W
Burundi
0
Senegal
1
Africa Cup of Nations Qualification 06/09/24
D
Burkina Faso
1
Senegal
1
Africa - World Cup Qualifying 09/06/24
W
Mauritania
0
Senegal
1
Africa - World Cup Qualifying 06/06/24
D
Congo DR
1
Senegal
1
International Match 26/03/24
W
Benin
0
Senegal
1
D.R. Congo preview: Brentford’s Wissa to feature
Ngonda Muzinga, Merveille Bokadi, Neeksens Kebano, Cedric Bakambu, Jonathan Bolingi and Ben Malango have all been omitted from the D.R. Congo squad by Head Coach Sébastien Desabre for differing reasons.
Ipswich's Axel Tuanzebe, Union Saint-Gilloise's Noah Sadiki and Vizela's Samuel Essende are all uncapped and in line to represent Congo for the first time.
Predicted lineup: Bertaud (GK), Tuanzebe, Mbemba, Batubinsika, Kayembe, Tshibola, Moutoussamy, Bongonda, Diangana, Wissa, Banza
Africa Cup of Nations Qualification 09/09/24
W
Ethiopia
0
Congo DR
2
Africa Cup of Nations Qualification 06/09/24
W
Guinea
0
Congo DR
1
Africa - World Cup Qualifying 09/06/24
W
Togo
0
Congo DR
1
Africa - World Cup Qualifying 06/06/24
D
Senegal
1
Congo DR
1
Africa Cup of Nations 10/02/24
L
South Africa
0 (6)
Congo DR
0 (5)
Player to watch – Nicolas Jackson
Nicolas Jackson was first capped by Senegal back in 2022, though he has become a regular fixture in their team over the last 12 months, amassing seven of his 11 caps during that period.
However, the Chelsea centre forward has yet to break his duck at international level – something that probably won’t surprise Blues fans who have witnessed Jackson’s erratic finishing in the Premier League first-hand.
Jackson will be itching to get off the mark
22-year-old Jackson was hit and miss during his maiden campaign in England with Chelsea, though he did manage to finish his first Premier League season with 14 goals. Jackson also rattled the net four times in his last five appearances at club level, so he should be able to approach this international break with a degree of confidence.
