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Liverpool stars Sadio Mane and Naby Keita are set to lock horns on Friday as their nations Senegal and Guinea face off in the second round of the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Senegal beat Zimbabwe 1-0 in their group opener on Monday. They did most of the probing for the bulk of the game but could not manage to break down the solid Zimbabwe defense. However, fortune favored Aliou Cisse's men as they got a penalty in the final minute which Sadio Mane duly converted.
Senegal will be looking to pick up back-to-back group stage wins as they look to advance into the knockout stages of the continental competition.
Guinea also won their first group stage game with a scoreline of 1-0 as they beat Malawi at the Kouekong Stadium on Monday. Left-back Issiaga Sylla scored the sole goal of the game, marking his first-ever competitive goal for his nation.
The National Elephants will look to win later this week as they target a sixth knockout stage appearance in their last seven AFCON campaigns.
Senegal vs Guinea Head-to-Head
Friday's game will mark the 55th meeting between the two nations. Senegal have won 25 of their previous meetings while Guinea have won 16 times. There have been 13 draws between the two sides.
The two teams last met in the African Nations Championship back in 2019. Guinea won the game 1-0.
Senegal Form Guide (All Competitions): W-W-D-W-W
Guinea Form Guide (All Competitions): W-W-L-D-L
Senegal vs Guinea Team News
Senegal
Manager Aliou Cisse will be without several players on Friday. Idrissa Gana Gueye, Fode Ballo-Toure, Bamba Dieng, Mame Baba Thiam, Alfred Gomis, Mamadou Loum Ndiaye, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and Famara Diédhiou all have COVID-19 and are not expected to play.
Ismaïla Sarr and Abdoulaye Seck are both injured and will be absent as well.
Injured: Ismaïla Sarr, Abdoulaye Seck
COVID-19: Saliou Ciss, Bamba Dieng, Mame Baba Thiam, Pape Matar Sarr, Nampalys Mendy, Alfred Gomis, Mamadou Loum Ndiaye, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Famara Diédhiou
Suspended: None
Guinea
The National Elephants have no injury concerns ahead of Friday's game.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Senegal vs Guinea Predicted XI
Senegal Predicted XI (4-3-3): Seny Dieng; Saliou Ciss, Pape Abou Cisse, Abdou Diallo; Ibrahima Mbaye; Cheikhou Kouyate, Pape Gueye, Bouna Sarr; Sadio Mane, Boulaye Dia, Keita Balde
Guinea Predicted XI (4-3-1-2): Aly Keita; Mamadou Kane, Mohamed Camara, Saidou Sow, Ibrahima Conte, Issiaga Sylla; Amadou Diawara, Naby Keita, Aguibou Camara; Mohamed Bayo, Jose Kante
Senegal vs Guinea Prediction
Senegal are unbeaten in their last seven games, winning six of those encounters. They have lost just one of their last 12 games across all competitions and will be looking to advance into the knockout stages for the third consecutive time.
Guinea ended a seven-game competitive winless run last time out against significantly weaker opposition. They should see defeat against Senegal on Friday.
Prediction: Senegal 2-1 Guinea
