Teranga Lions eye flying start against The Scorpions

Senegal will be kicking off their defence of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title against Gambia on Monday afternoon. The match will be played at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast.

Kick-off is at 4.00 pm CAT.

CURRENT FORM

The Teranga Lions are currently on an unbeaten run and have not lost their last four matches. They are also having a decent campaign for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

As for The Scorpions, they have lost their last two games in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Burundi and Afcon hosts Ivory Coast respectively.

TEAM NEWS

Senegal's Boulaye Dia and backup goalkeeper Seny Dieng have been ruled out of the tournament, with Bamba Dieng and Alfred Gomis called up to replace them.

Sadio Mane will continue to be a key player up front, while former Chelsea players Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly will play important roles in defence.

The Gambia squad had to make an emergency landing on their flight to Yamoussoukro after players fell asleep due to a lack of oxygen. Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet said his players were still suffering from nausea and headaches a day later.

WHAT WAS SAID?

"People got headaches and if the flight had gone on for another 30 minutes, the whole team would have died. The strange thing is that the oxygen masks didn't come out - it's good that the pilot realised that this was a deadly situation and so turned back," said Saintfiet.

"But we are still in shock."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sadio Mane: The veteran attacker scored the final goal in The Lions of Teranga's 2021 victory over Egypt, which was decided on penalties. He will play an important role once more, as this could be his final Afcon appearance.

Yankuba Minteh: The Gambian winger is currently on-loan with Feyenoord from Newcastle United. With Feyenoord, he has scored four goals in 18 games, plus two assists. There will be expectations for him to perform in the continental competition.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The two teams have never faced each other at the Cup of Nations, however Senegal have won 13 times against Gambia. 10 of their encounters ended as a draw and Gambia is yet to register a win against Senegal.