Qatar World Cup: Senegal's XI shows why Man City's Haaland is backing them | OneFootball

Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland is tipping Senegal to be a huge threat at the upcoming Qatar World Cup.

Senegal are the reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions and are viewed by many as ‘dark horses’ for the tournament.

When asked by SuperSportTV who is the best African team going to the World Cup, Haaland replied: “I think Senegal will do really well. They are a strong team and they have so many strong players. So I think Senegal will do the best out of those.”

Haaland, who will sadly not be at the World Cup with Norway, is clearly a big fan of Alou Cisse’s side – and it’s easy to see why.

After taking a look through their squad options, we’ve created an XI that Senegal could potentially field in Qatar and in our opinion, it’s very impressive indeed.

Erling, we think you’ve hit the nail on the head…

Senegal’s potential XI at the Qatar World Cup

GK: Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)

Yes, Mendy has been usurped by Kepa Arrizabalaga at Chelsea of late, but he’s still a world-class goalkeeper. Lest we forget, the former Rennes man finished second for the 2021 Yashin Trophy, behind only Gianluigi Donnarumma.

RB: Youssouf Sabaly (Real Betis)

The 29-year-old has played has played 23 times for Senegal since 2017 and is a pretty dependable force at Betis when called upon.

CB: Kalidou Kouliably (Chelsea)

One of the best in the business when it comes to present day centre-backs. If Senegal are to make Haaland right and enjoy success in Qatar, Koulibaly will have to be at the top of his game.

CB: Abdou Diallo (RB Leipzig)

We’ve left out Olympiacos’ Pape Abou Cisse in favour of Diallo, who previously played for Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund. He’s a top-quality footballer and can also deputise at left-back if needed.

LB: Ismail Jakobs (AS Monaco)

The 23-year-old Jakobs only has one Senegal cap to his name at the time of writing, but his impressive performances with AS Monaco this season should see him add to that number in Qatar.

CM: Cheikhou Kouyate (Nottingham Forest)

A Premier League stalwart, the versatile Kouyate will be a driving force for Senegal once again at the World Cup. He’s looked good in a Forest shirt so far as well, particularly in the club’s famous 1-0 win over Liverpool.

Another high-quality veteran who will be key to the African nation’s campaign. Gueye is back playing regular football after re-joining Everton from Paris Saint-Germain, which bodes well for the Lions of Teranga.

CM: Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur)

A slightly rogue shout given that Sarr is yet to make an appearance for Spurs. However, the all-action 20-year-old already has 10 Senegal caps to his name and enjoyed a stellar season on loan at Metz in 2021/22. Youth to compliment the experience in midfield? Sounds good.

RW: Ismaila Sarr (Watford)

How Sarr is still playing in the Championship is beyond us. The lightning-quick winger is a Premier League quality player if ever we’ve seen one and has 10 goals in 47 appearances for Senegal. Left-backs, beware.

ST: Boulaye Dia (Torino)

Striker has been a problem area for Senegal, although Dia has been in decent nick this season. Dia’s five goals and two assists in 11 games with Torino suggest he’s ready to add to his tally of just two international goals at the World Cup.

The main man. As with Koulibaly, Senegal’s World Cup campaign will be slightly dependant on the form of Mane. He’s been effective for Bayern in 2022/23, scoring 11 goals across all competitions. The 2021 AFCON Player of the Tournament also has 33 goals in 92 games for his country, a superb record.

Quiz: Can you name all 30 of these ‘streets won’t forget’ players from World Cups?