Egypt seeks revenge on Senegal following their defeat to this team in the AFCON final. Read on for our free World Cup qualification match preview, predictions, analysis, and soccer picks.
Egypt vs. Senegal
Friday, March 25, 2022 – 03:30 PM EDT at Cairo International Stadium
Eight weeks following their Africa Cup of Nations final meeting, Egypt and Senegal meet again as they begin a two-legged World Cup playoff battle at the Cairo International on Friday.
With only a handful of tickets available for Qatar 2022, both squads look to emulate their group stage success that boasts unbeaten streaks for each team.
Form, Mentality, Statistics and Trends
- ⦁ Egypt is unbeaten in 9 consecutive WC Qualification games.
- ⦁ Senegal is undefeated in their last 19 away meetings.
- ⦁ From 31 away games, Senegal is unbeaten on 30 occasions.
- ⦁ Egypt has won their previous 7 home WC Qualification games.
- ⦁ Under 2.5 goals were scored in Egypt’s last 7 games in all competitions.
- ⦁ Senegal concedes an average of 0.67 goals away from home.
- ⦁ Egypt concedes an average of 0.33 goals during WC Qualification games at home.
Familiar Foes
Egypt will be desperate to exact revenge on their African counterparts after Senegal stole the prize trophy back in January. A painstaking penalty shootout for the Egyptians saw their Senegalese foes lift the Africa Cup of Nations.
With a fixture that holds significant importance, neither side will let up. Egypt looks for their second World Cup appearance in 32 years, while the Lions of Teranga attempt to make consecutive finals appearances.
The Pharaohs have been consistent during the qualifying group stage with an undefeated streak to brag about, a streak that consisted of 4 wins and 2 draws as they finished top of Group F with a 7 point gap over runners-up Gabon.
Like their Friday afternoon hosts, Senegal topped their World Cup qualification group stage with 16 points, 8 points greater than second-placed Togo. A factor that could give Senegal an added confidence boost is a 13-game undefeated streak in all competitions, last losing to South Africa in July 2021.
Defenses Don’t Mess Around
We should anticipate another close encounter with everything at stake, similar to the January AFCON final.
In addition, these two sides have played out extremely tight games during their most recent meetings, as 9 of the previous 10 clashes ended with 2 goals or less.
Senegal allowed just 2 goals on their path to the continental crown, and it’s the robust defense involving Kalidou Koulibaly and Abdou Diallo who provide the brick wall in front of Mendy in goal.
It’s challenging to ignore Egypt’s goal-scoring prowess that includes one of the world’s most talented strikers in Mohamed Salah, but we know he’ll be man marked by this concrete Senegalese defense, and they won’t give him room to breathe.
Final Thoughts | Betting Picks and Odds
The betting odds at the top-rated sportsbooks slightly favor Egypt at +184, with the return on Senegal at +200. However, as we’ve witnessed repeatedly, a lack of goals and the potential of a drawn fixture is highly likely when these two sides meet.
I expect a tentative approach from both squads, and I’ll take my chances with the first half draw.
Soccer Pick: Halftime Draw (-125) at Bet365
Soccer Pick: Under 1.5 Goals (+112) at Bet365
Correct Score Pick: 0-0 (+500) at Bet365
