Gareth Southgate will be desperately hoping for England to pass their latest World Cup test against Senegal, who are standing between the Three Lions and a place in the quarter-finals. The England boss previously managed to lead his players through the group stages with two wins and a draw to secure their place in the next round without too much hassle, although he will be fully aware that knockout football is often a different beast.
Senegal, meanwhile, qualified for the round of 16 as Group A runners-up and will be the underdogs against England but have every chance of pulling off an upset if they manage to play their best stuff over the course of the 90 minutes. The Lions of Teranga won last year’s Africa Cup of Nations and will fancy themselves to win in spite of the absence of star player Sadio Mane, who was not included in their World Cup squad after picking up a pre-torunament injury.
Southgate is expected to make a single change to the England side that beat Wales earlier this week, with Marcus Rashford set to be dropped in spite of his two-goal haul and Bukayo Saka poised to start alongside Phil Foden on the flanks. Harry Kane will continue to lead the line for England at the top of the pitch, while the sturdy midfield trio of Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson and Jude Bellingham will be expected to win the physical battle in the engine room and keep things ticking when in possession of the ball.
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