Senegal should not lack in that most precious of commodities either, as they arrived in the Middle East as African champions and have since negotiated safe passage to the knockout phase for just a second time.

Edging out Ecuador in a winner-takes-all contest, they were indebted to captain Kalidou Koulibaly   for his 70th-minute winner at Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday.

The centre-back’s controlled volley was required after Ismalia Sarr’s   first-half penalty had been equalised by their South American opponents, but Aliou Cisse’s   side ultimately backed up a victory over Qatar. The latter result came after a disappointing loss to the Netherlands in their first fixture.

Cisse, supported by assistant El Hadji Diouf   – another hero of Senegal’s legendary 2002 campaign – now aims to lead his nation into the quarter-finals by upsetting a talented England side and perhaps setting up an emotional re-match with France, who they slayed in the finals’ opening game 20 years ago.

The former Birmingham City midfielder may be without star man Sadio Mane   in Qatar, but since his appointment in 2015 has nurtured a spirited and tactically aware squad – the bulk of which lifted a first Africa Cup of Nations trophy after winning the final on penalties back in February.

While African teams have lost eight of nine World Cup knockout matches against European opponents to date – the sole exception being a Senegalese win over Sweden – if it comes to spot-kicks the Lions of Teranga could therefore have a distinct edge over their English counterparts, who have so often seen shootouts result in painful failure.

Table-topping England came through the group stages convincingly, with dominant wins against the Islamic Republic of Iran and Wales, ending 6-2 and 3-0 respectively.

A hard-fought game against the United States ended 0-0, with their resilient backline withstanding a commanding performance from Gregg Berhalter’s side.

The key to Gareth Southgate’s squad is the attacking talent they possess. There are few teams that can field players like Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka, before turning to Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden to add new dynamics from the bench.

Both Rashford and Saka have put the heartbreak of Euro 2020 behind them and have each registered a brace in Qatar, staking their claim to being their manager’s go to winger on either side of the pitch.

But against a tough Sengalese side, Southgate will need all of his players to be ready regardless of who gets the nod or who is asked to feature from the bench.

England’s road to bettering their fourth placed finish four years ago continues on Sunday (4 December), when they take on Senegal in the round of 16 at 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Players to Watch

England: Jude Bellingham

At 19 years and 153 days, Bellingham became the second-youngest player to reach 20 caps in England’s 3-0 win over Wales and dominated the midfield in doing so.

He won possession seven times, tied with John Stones for the most of any player in the game, and had a passing accuracy of 90 per cent. However, Senegal’s midfield has more depth and more talent than that of Wales, and this game promises to be a sterner test of his undoubted quality.

Senegal: Ismaila Sarr

The Lions of Teranga have had five different goalscorers at this World Cup, but Sarr may be the one of whom England will be the most wary.

He scored from the penalty spot against Ecuador and also had the most touches in their box (five) and played more passes into the final third than any other player (13), with eight of them accurate.

Firmly in the shop window having missed out on a move away from Championship side Watford before the season, this is a huge opportunity for Sarr to impress.

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com