'Senegal want to continue this adventure' - Cisse on Ecuador showdown
Ecuador have a slight advantage over Senegal as the two teams collide in a winner-takes-all clash in Group A this afternoon. The South American side have four points meaning they only need a draw to progress to the last 16 ahead of their opponents. Senegal, who have three points thanks to a 3-1 victory over Qatar, need to win to guarantee a spot in the knockout rounds.
If Ecuador versus Senegal ends in a draw there is also a slim chance the African champions would go through ahead of the Netherlands but only if Louis van Gaal’s team are beaten by two goals or more when they take on Qatar.
Both matches in Group A will take place simultaneously with the Netherlands favourites to top the group and Ecuador next in line to go through although Senegal have shown enough promise to shake up that equation.
Today’s game is set to be an intriguing contest. Ecuador’s Enner Valencia is in fantastic form having scored all three of their goals so far. If he plays he’ll be up against Chelsea duo Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy who will have their sights set on a first clean sheet to aid Senegal’s chances of progressing.
Follow all the action from this Group A decider with our live blog below:
Who will reach last 16?
It is rare that the final matches of the World Cup group stages hold any weight but this tournament is set for some fireworks.
Today alone three teams from Group A - Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands - can all make it into the last 16 before this evening’s matches have all four teams in Group B - including England and Wales - in with a chance of making the knockout stages.
Both Group A fixtures kick off simultaneously at 3pm and will set the stage for high drama to come as the group stages come to a close this week.
Ecuador vs Senegal line-ups
Ecuador XI: Galindez, Preciado, Torres, Hincapie, Estupinan, Franco, Gruezo, Caicedo, Plata, Estrada, Valencia
Senegal XI: Mendy, Sabaly, Koulibaly, Jakobs, Diallo, Ciss, P. Gueye, Ndiaye, I. Gueye, Sarr, Dia
The best World Cup in Ecuadorean history?
Ecuador boss, Gustavo Alfaro, says he wants his Ecuador side to make history as they vie for a place in the last 16. The South American side will qualify for the next round if they avoid defeat against Senegal this afternoon.
Alfaro’s side are second in Group A after beating Qatar and drawing against group leaders the Netherlands.
"I’m convinced we’ve done everything we can, we’ve done our homework," Alfaro said.
"We respect the pecking order, but we don’t need to be fearful. We remain calm but that doesn’t mean we are over-confident - we are not triumphalist,
"We are not just thinking of getting a draw. We want to progress, we want to seal our passage, we want to play the best World Cup in Ecuadorean history."
Should Ecuador progress, they will match their all-time best World Cup showing when they reached the last 16 at Germany 2006, where they were knocked out by England.
Ecuador vs Senegal early team news and predicted line-ups
Ecuador are sweating on the fitness of their captain and talisman Enner Valencia, who went off on a stretcher in the final moments of the 1-1 draw against the Netherlands with a knee injury. Brighton’s Jeremy Sarmiento or Kevin Rodriguez are the obvious replacements should Valencia not be fit.
As for Senegal, they have no injury concerns and are likely to stick with a similar XI to the one which beat Qatar - with the likes of Chelsea’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Watford’s Ismaila Sarr involved.
Ecuador XI: Galindez; Porozo, Torres, Hincapie; Preciado, Mendez, Caicedo, Estupinan; Plata, Sarmiento; Estrada
Senegal XI: Mendy; Sabaly, Koulibaly, Diallo, Jakobs; Sarr, Mendy, Gueye, Diatta; Dia, Diedhiou
Ecuador vs Senegal
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of this deciding match in Group A as Ecuador and Senegal both vie for a place in the last 16 at World Cup 2022.
Ecuador have the slight edge as they sit on four points meaning that a draw against the African champions would safely see them through to the next round. Senegal must win to guarantee a spot in the knockout rounds.
There is also a slight chance that both teams could progress but that scenario is based on the Netherlands losing to Qatar which is highly unlikely even in this World Cup of shock underdog victories.
Kick off for both matches in Group A is at 3pm and we’ll bring all the action and ramifications as the group stages heads to a thrilling conclusion.