The era of Aliou Cissé now past, the new technical staff of the Lions, led by Pape Thiaw, has “its” list for the double confrontation against Malawi. A group of 26 players including Boulaye Dia and Cheikh Lo Ndoye, but without Edouard Mendy or Noah Fadiga, for the big surprise.
After four last half-hearted outings, the Senegal National Football Team is beginning a new era, and not the least important in its history. After almost a decade under the leadership of Aliou Cissé, the Lions are no longer led by the 48-year-old tactician. Despite an agreement with the FSF for a contract renewal, the coach of the 2022 African champions saw the new Ministry of Sports make the decision not to extend it and, therefore, choosing to “thank” him.
It is then under the leadership of an interim staff that the partners of Sadio Mané and Kalidou Koulibaly will have to face Malawi in a crucial double confrontation for qualifications for the next CAN, scheduled for the 11th (at the Abdoulaye-Wade Stadium in Diamniadio) and October 15 (in Lilongwe). Respectively appointed first and second assistants to the now ex-coach Aliou Cissé a few weeks ago, it is Pape Thiaw and Teddy Pellerin who will coach the Lions. They know their list for these two meetings.
Fadiga still forgotten, Dia back
Not sure that this group of 26 players is not the work of Aliou Cissé. It’s simple: the latter had already concocted his list, and the new technical staff of the Lions did not have enough time to change things. We therefore find, unsurprisingly, continuity in this group, where practically the same players are present who were already there in September, with the exception of Edouard Mendy and Mikayil Ngor Faye. Injured in the ankle, the 32-year-old goalkeeper sees Cheikh Lô Ndoye from Jaraaf arriving in the selection for the first time.
If Aliou Cissé, because it is still about him, preferred to do without Edouard Mendy in order, undoubtedly, not to take any risks, this logic was not followed with Abdoulaye Seck, who , injured since the last international break, is in the group. Remarkable with Gantoise for several weeks and scorer three times in his last four Championship matches, Noah Fadiga has been put in the fridge and will have to wait some more. The same goes for young players like Cheikh Sabaly, Pape Meissa Ba and Ousmane Diao. On the other hand, the new strong man of Lazio Rome, Boulaye Dia, absent since March 2024, is very present.
Guardians : Mory Diaw (Clermont), Seny Dieng (Middlesbrough), Cheikh Lo Ndoye (ASC Jaraaf)
Defenders : Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal), Abdou Diallo (Al-Arabi), Moussa Niakhate (Olympique Lyonnais), Abdoulaye Seck (Maccabi Haïfa), Formose Mendy (FC Lorient), Ismail Jakobs (AS Monaco), Seydou Sano (Al- Gharafa, El Hadji Malick Diouf (Slavia Prague)
Midfielders : Nampalys Mendy (RC Lens), Pathé Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Lamine Camara (AS Monaco), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham), Pape Gueye (Villarreal), Habib Diarra (Strasbourg), Idrissa Gueye (Everton)
Attackers : Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr), Ismaila Sarr (Crystal Palace), Habib Diallo (Damac FC), Iliman Ndiaye (Everton), Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea), Cherif Ndiaye (Etoile Rouge de Belgrade), Abdallah Sima (Stade Brestois) , Boulaye Dia (Lazio)
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