AFCON 2017: Senegal seeks to break jinx against Tunisia

The Terraga Lions of Senegal will be seeking their first AFCON win against Tunisia when the two sides face off in the second group B game in Franceville.

In the previous four meetings, Tunisia have picked one win with the rest ending in stalemates.

The Carthage Eagles win came in 2004 when they hosted and won the tournament with a man sent off in a chaotic affair as Jawhar Minar scored the winner.

Senegal, finalists in 2002, look a different opposition at the moment with a team that boosts of Liverpool forward, Sadio Mane and Lazio’s Keita Balde among others.

With Aliou Cisse, the former national team captain in charge, the Lions of Terranga know nothing short of a triumphant tournament will be disaster but first things first.

Tunisia are coached Polish tactician Henryk Kasperczak and though not so many big names in their squad, the Carthage Eagles have one of the best centre backs on the continent in Valencia’s Aymen Abdennour and midfielder Youssef Msakni.

FACTS:

Tunisia have won once and drawn the rest of the meetings between the two sides at AFCON – 0-0 in Tunisia (1965), 0-0 in Mali (2002) and 2-2 in Ghana (2008).
Senegal lost all three group games in 2012 and won only one in 2015 to make early exits.
Aliou Cisse was the captain of Senegal in their fair tale year in 2002 when they reached the finals of AFCON and quarter finals at the World Cup.

A fixture no team would love to lose with Algeria, another giant in the group to face but Senegal looks the team to beat in this.

Contributer : Local Reports http://ift.tt/2jB2jZk