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Reigning champions Senegal will get their title defense underway against Gambia at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Monday.
Senegal are making their fifth consecutive appearance in the continental competition and have made it to the final in the last editions. After finishing as the runners-up in 2019, they lifted their maiden AFCON title in the previous edition.
The Gambia have qualified for the group stage for the second time on the spin after not making an appearance in the first 32 editions of the tournament. They had a good debut campaign in the competition and made it to the quarter-finals, losing 2-0 to hosts Cameroon.
The reigning champions head into the match in good form, losing just one of their last 14 games across all competitions. They defeated Niger 1-0 in a friendly earlier this month.
The Gambia had their friendly against Morocco canceled and they were last in action in the CAF World Cup qualifiers in November, suffering back-to-back losses against Burundi and Cote d'Ivoire.
Senegal vs Gambia Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have crossed paths 23 times across all competitions thus far, with their first competitive meeting dating back to 1980. The 2021 AFCON champions have an unbeaten record in this fixture, with 13 wins and 10 games ending in draws.
- They last met in the Preliminary round of African Nations Championship qualifiers in 2015, with Les Lions de la Teranga recording a 4-1 win on aggregate.
- Gambia have seen fewer than 2.5 goals in their five games in the AFCON thus far, scoring four goals while conceding thrice.
- Senegal have kept clean sheets in nine of their last 12 games in the AFCON. They have scored in all but one game in that period.
Senegal vs Gambia Prediction
The Lions of Teranga are on a four-game unbeaten run across all competitions, recording three wins while keeping clean sheets in these games. They have lost just twice in their last 14 games at the AFCON, with both losses coming against Algeria.
They have enjoyed an unbeaten run against the Gambia and, having kept 16 clean sheets in 23 meetings, are strong favorites. Head coach Aliou Cissé has called up a strong squad for the competition, with Sadio Mane leading the charge for the reigning champions.
The Scorpions had a great debut in the competition in 2021 and will aim for a place in the knockout round this time around as well. They have seen a drop in form recently and are winless in their last three games, suffering two defeats.
The flight carrying the players and staff from Banjul had to return to the airport just nine minutes after taking off, delaying their arrival in Cote d'Ivoire. Gambia President Adama Barrow intervened in the situation and arranged for a special flight that helped them land in Yamoussoukro.
Omar Colley, the former Sampdoria defender, has been handed the captain's armband for the tournament. Ali Sowe and Musa Barrow are the two other key players for head coach Tom Saintfiet.
Considering Senegal's impressive record against the Gambia and better record in the AFCON, they are expected to register a comfortable win and the odds of a clean sheet also look good.
Prediction: Senegal 2-0 Gambia
Senegal vs Gambia Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Senegal to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Sadio Mane to score or assist any time - Yes
