Sudan ready to take the fight to Senegal

Sudan head coach Kwesi Appiah believes his players have the ambition to achieve something special as they prepare to take on Senegal in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at the Benina Martyrs Stadium on Saturday, March 22.

Kick-off is at 9pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)

CURRENT FORM:

The Falcons of Jediane have defied the odds in Group B to open up a two-point gap over the Lions of Teranga in top spot after going unbeaten in their opening four matches.

Appiah's side kicked off proceedings with a 1-1 draw against Togo on 16 November 2023, but have surged ahead of the other five teams following three successive wins over DR Congo (1-0), Mauritania (2-0) and South Sudan (3-0).

Sudan also have the biggest goal difference in the group (+6) and what makes their feat even more remarkable is the fact that the players aren't even involved in any domestic football due to civil war in the country.

Senegal are one point better off than DR Congo in second position, having also yet to taste defeat during the qualifying campaign, although Pape Thiaw won't be happy with some of their results.

The West African giants got off to a flying start when they thrashed the Bright Stars 4-0 on 18 November 2023, but they dropped points in their next two games after being held to draws by Sparrowhawks (0-0) and the Leopards (1-1).

Thiaw's side then laboured to a narrow 1-0 win over the Lions of Chinguetti on 9 June 2024 which was not enough to reclaim pole position as Sudan beat their neighbours to stay at the summit.

WHAT WAS SAID:

Sudan head coach Kwesi Appiah

"Sudan has a lot of good players who are physically strong and hardworking. However, unlike countries like Ghana, which has a large pool of high-quality players, Sudan's talent pool is limited due to the lack of a domestic league.

"Still, the players are ambitious, and I believe they can achieve great things with the right support and preparation."

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Sudan - Muhamed Abdelrahman is the leading scorer in the current squad (23) and he needs just five goals to overtake Nasr El-Din Abbas as the national team's all-time top scorer. The 31-year-old striker missed the first two qualifiers, but he returned against Mauritania and scored in the victory over South Sudan.

Senegal - Sadio Mane didn't feature in the previous two qualifiers due to a thigh injury, but he recovered to play a starring role for the Lions of Teranga as they booked their place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, with the winger bagging three goals in six matches. He is also the top scorer in the group thanks to his brace against the Bright Stars in November 2023.

HEAD-TO-HEAD:

Matches - 3

Sudan wins - 0

Senegal wins - 3

Draws - 0