Activate discovery+
Sep 23When and where to watch England vs Senegal?
England vs Senegal kicks off at 7pm on Sunday 4 December.
You can watch all the action from Al-Bayt Stadium on ITV via BT TV.
England vs Senegal match preview
An assured, professional passage through the group stages has earned England a last 16 tie with Senegal, though Gareth Southgate and his players will be wary of underestimating the African champions.
Aliou Cisse’s team finished second in Group A behind Netherlands after edging past Ecuador with a 2-1 victory.
Without Sadio Mane, injured in the leadup to the tournament, Senegal are clearly not as potent an attacking force as they might have been. But the strength of their squad beyond the former Liverpool forward has been proved with recent results.
Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly will be familiar to many of England’s squad, as will Watford winger Ismaila Sarr, who scored from the penalty spot against Ecuador.
Senegal looked solid if unspectacular as they navigated their way through Group A. This is a team built on sturdy foundations with the capability of counter-attacking at pace, as they showed in glimpses against Qatar and Ecuador.
England, as usual, will expect to control possession, though they are unlikely to be as untroubled at the back as they were in the 3-0 win over Wales.
Set pieces may not prove as fruitful for Southgate’s side given the height of the opposition, so crosses in the direction of Harry Maguire might not be the priority as they have been in previous games.
But the key to success for England is likely to be nullifying Senegal’s threat on the break.
England vs Senegal predicted line-ups
England: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw, Bellingham, Rice, Saka, Mount, Sterling, Kane
Senegal: Mendy; Sabaly, Koulibaly, Diallo, Jakobs, Ciss, P. Gueye, Mendy, Ndiaye, Sarr, Dia
England vs Senegal: Injuries and suspensions
Talk has continued around Harry Kane's fitness after the Tottenham striker had a scan on his ankle.
England's captain will undoubtedly play through any pain, but Southgate will want his talismanic forward to be fully fit for a potential run to the latter stages of the tournament.
James Maddison has returned to training but is yet to feature at the World Cup, while Arsenal defender Ben White has returned home for personal reasons.
Senegal have no new injury concerns, but they suffered a blow when Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye was booked against Ecuador and picked up a suspension for the last 16 clash with England.
Form (last five matches)
England: LLDWDW
Senegal: WWDLWW
England vs Senegal: Form guide
Both countries head into the knockout stages off the back of encouraging wins.
England eased past Wales, with the only blemish on their World Cup record so far a goalless draw against USA.
The hope will be that the heights of the 6-2 thrashing of Iran can be reached again when it matters most.
Heading into the World Cup, of course, England's form was far less convincing following a run of six matches without a win.
Senegal have won their last two games after defeat to Netherlands in their opener.
In the leadup to the tournament, Cisse's side were unbeaten in three and that resilience has been carried into the World Cup.
2022 FIFA
He said what?!
Gareth Southgate on the threat Senegal pose in the last 16:
"We know on the rankings we will be favourites - we’ve got to deal with that - but they’re a very dangerous team.
"The first objective is achieved. To this point we’re really pleased. The big business starts now."
Idrissa Gueye on Senegal's aspirations at the World Cup:
"The last 16 is not the objective. We see beyond that. We have no limits.
"We have to keep our feet on the ground, not get carried away, and stay focused from the start to the end.
"We have a squad to go far. We’re not going to fix any limits because if we play like we did against Ecuador we can do something really interesting in this competition."
England vs Senegal: Players to watch
Sarr is very much the danger man for Senegal in the absence of Mane.
The 24-year-old attacker, who plays predominantly on the left, is direct and skillful and will pose real problems for an England defence that hasn't been overly tested so far.
Senegal will want to get Sarr on the ball and running at John Stones and Maguire as often as possible, while Southgate will hope the Watford man remains isolated in wide areas.
For England, all eyes will be on Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford if either of them play a part in the game.
Southgate is expected to revert to his preferred option of Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka in wide areas, but Foden and Rashford could be matchwinners even from the bench.
