Senegal VS Netherlands FIFA LIVE Football Score 21/11/2022

Senegal VS Netherlands FIFA LIVE Football Score 21/11/2022

Senegal take on Netherlands in Group A of the 2022 World Cup on Monday. The match will kick off at 4pm GMT in Al Thumama, Qatar, exactly 24 hours after the hosts’ opening match begins against Ecuador on Sunday. The two nations would have been interested onlookers on Sunday as Ecuador made light work of Qatar in the tournament’s opening game.

However, their focus will now be on their encounter in Doha as they bid to take a significant step towards qualifying for the knockout rounds. Despite Senegal’s emergence on the global scene over the past two decades, these two teams have never squared off on the international stage. Furthermore, the Lions of Teranga and Oranje have also never suffered defeat in their opening match at a World Cup.

Netherlands are competing at their ninth tournament, winning six of their first matches and drawing the other two, while Senegal have defeated France and Poland in their respective openers. As well as those particular unbeaten runs being on the line at the Al Thumama Stadium, the teams have not lost to opponents from the other’s continent at the group stage of a World Cup.

Netherlands have played African teams on four occasions in all phases of the competition, coming through those encounters with three victories and one draw, the most recent success coming against Cameroon in the 2010 group stages. Meanwhile, Senegal have played European opposition three times in the round robin, beating France and Poland and drawing with Denmark.

They also defeated Sweden in the last 16 of the 2002 tournament before succumbing to an extra-time defeat to Turkey in the quarter-finals. Senegal have suffered a major blow before the World Cup has even begun, with Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane ruled out of the tournament due to a fibula injury, which he sustained against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga earlier this month.

Head coach Aliou Cisse had hoped that the issue would only prevent his star man from playing in the Lions of Teranga’s first match or two, but Cisse will now have to adjust his tactical blueprint to deal with the absence of the former Liverpool man.

Mane, who scored two winning penalties against Egypt to seal Senegal’s first ever Africa Cup of Nations triumph as well as cement their place in Qatar earlier this year, clearly leaves a major hole to fill in attack, with only Ismaila Sarr and Famara Diedhiou in double figures for goals scored (10 apiece) for their national team.

However, Cisse’s side are generally tough to break down, with six clean sheets in their last eight competitive matches proving to be the bedrock of their recent AFCON success and qualification for the World Cup.

The 46-year-old will almost certainly be looking for his players to keep things tight against Netherlands, before going into more winnable fixtures against Qatar and Ecuador as they look to reach the knockout stages for only the second time in their history.

Netherlands, meanwhile, head into the World Cup in excellent form under Louis van Gaal’s management, having reached the UEFA Nations League finals for the second time in three campaigns. While the fledgling competition’s credentials are often questioned, all three of Oranje’s Group 4 opponents – Belgium, Poland and Wales – will compete at the forthcoming World Cup, making their points tally of 16 from six matches appear even more impressive than first meets the eye.

Netherlands missed out on qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but they did advance to the semi-finals under van Gaal’s tutelage in 2014, ultimately losing to Argentina in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw across 120 minutes.

Widely regarded as the biggest footballing nation never to win the World Cup – having lost three finals in 1974, 1978 and 2010 – there is growing belief that this could be their year despite lacking a sprinkle of star individual quality when compared to their previous near misses.

Starting strong against Senegal on Monday will be important in order to maintain high morale, with van Gaal perhaps emboldened to go for the jugular with the aforementioned absence of Mane on the opposition team sheet.

Mane has withdrawn from the Senegal squad as a result of his fibula injury, which will require surgery, with the likes of Nicolas Jackson, Iliman Ndiaye, Krepin Diatta and Bamba Dieng all fighting for a spot on the left flank in his absence. Diatta could win that particular battle due to his natural pace and trickery on the ball, while RB Leipzig’s Abdou Diallo may miss out on his country’s first match at the World Cup with a knee issue.

Netherlands, meanwhile, will be without their own attacking talisman, too, with Memphis Depay ruled out of at least their opening match due to a hamstring injury. The Barcelona forward, who scored 12 goals during World Cup qualifying, has not played for club or country since sustaining against Poland in September.

Denzel Dumfries is also doubtful after being forced off during Inter Milan’s Serie A fixture against Atalanta last week, with Marten de Roon unlikely to be available either having missed that match entirely with a back issue. As such, Jeremie Frimpong and Vincent Janssen may be handed opportunities from the start, although van Gaal could utilise three central midfielders with Cody Gakpo and Steven Bergwijn forming a front two.

On November 21, Senegal will face the Netherlands in the third game of the FIFA World Cup 2022. While the Netherlands enter their first World Cup since 2014 in terrific form, the current winners of the Africa Cup of Nations have a powerful defensive unit. Since 2021, when Louis van Gaal came out of retirement and was hired as manager for the third time, the Dutch have gone 15 games without a loss.

Under the leadership of Louis van Gaal, the Netherlands enter the World Cup in fine condition after making it to their second consecutive UEFA Nations League final. Despite failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Oranje did make it all the way to the semifinals in 2014 under the guidance of Louis van Gaal, ultimately falling to Argentina in a penalty shootout following a goalless draw over 120 minutes.

For Senegal, Sadio Mané was forced to withdraw from the FIFA World Cup 2022 – owing to a fibula injury he incurred against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga earlier in November. Senegal’s first-ever Africa Cup of Nations victory and their qualification for Qatar 2022 were secured by Mané’s two game-winning penalties against Egypt. Mané’s absence in attack leaves a glaring gap.

Despite having the highest international scoring average in the Netherlands’ lineup, Memphis Depay hasn’t played for the team since September because of a hamstring problem. According to Van Gaal, the forward won’t play against Senegal. For this game, Denzel Dumfries and Marten de Roon are still questionable starters.

With Mané missing, the likes of Nicolas Jackson, Iliman Ndiaye, Krepin Diatta and Bamba Dieng will be fighting for a spot left blank by the Bayern Munich forward. It will be up to winger Ismala Sarr to continue Senegal’s recent success, which has been largely attributed to Aliou Cissé’s practical approach to tournament football.