Egypt vs Senegal Predictions

• Eight of Egypt’s last nine matches produced under 2.5 goals in 90 minutes.
• Seven of Senegal’s last nine competitive matches saw under 2.5 total goals.
• The main selection won in nine of the last ten H2H meetings.

Familiar foes to get reacquainted

Following from the recent AFCON tournament, here we have a repeat of the final in which Senegal defeated Egypt after a 0-0 draw in 90 minutes. This time, one side will book their ticket to Qatar 2022, though two legs separates either nation from that goal.

As usual, the stakes are incomprehensible for both sides, with Egypt seeking only their second World Cup appearance since 1990 while Senegal are looking for back-to-back finals appearances for the first time. Will the Pharaohs rule or will the Lion’s roar?

With so much at stake, we could see a tight encounter here as neither side wants to blow this opportunity. That has been evident in meetings between these nations, with nine of the last ten meetings producing two or fewer goals.

One for the purists

Egypt’s run to the AFCON final was a slog for most football fans, with each tie requiring extra time to be settled after either 0-0 or 1-1 draws, thus proving they definitely have what it takes to dig in and frustrate their opponents.

There was just one goal scored across Senegal’s group games, which ultimately led to their goalless draw in the final. As such, we are sticking with the trend of low-scoring, tight African football with a main prediction of under 2.5 goals.

For smaller stakes, we predict that this could be a 1-1 draw, with Mohamed Salah back amongst the Egypt ranks, expect the hosts to try and make some use of their home advantage in this first leg encounter.