Senegal and D.R. Congo will both be looking to build some momentum from their wins in the opening group stage round of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Senegal beat Botswana 3-0 to get their tournament off to a convincing start and underline their status as FIFA’s highest-ranked African nation and one of the tournament favourites. The Lions of Teranga have been ruthless recently, winning seven of their last eight matches and scoring at least three goals in five of those victories, whilst the only blot on their copybook during that run was a 2-0 loss to Brazil. Current manager Pape Thiaw, appointed last December, will back himself to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Aliou Cissé, who guided Senegal to their first and only AFCON title at the 2021 edition in Cameroon.
D.R. Congo’s win on matchday one was slightly less comfortable, squeezing past Benin 1-0 as they look to build on their fourth-placed finish from the previous AFCON. Like their opponents, Sébastien Desabre’s men have been in sensational form, winning their last six internationals – a run which includes reaching the inter-confederation play-offs for the 2026 World Cup at Nigeria’s expense – and keeping five clean sheets in the process. The Leopards should therefore feel confident about tasting victory in their first two games at an AFCON tournament for the very first time.
“We kept in close touch with the medical staff of Newcastle over the months and made the decision to carefully follow the medical protocols and not put any pressure on him to return too early,” Desabre told a Friday press conference ahead of the Cup of Nations clash against Senegal in Tangier on Saturday.
“I took the decision in the end to leave him (out of the Cup of Nations squad) in the best possible conditions to recover properly because we need him in the best form.
“It was a difficult decision, and I know he is disappointed not to be here with his teammates, but he understands,” the D.R. Congo coach added.
The Congolese play Senegal on Saturday in their second Group D game at the Cup of Nations, a much-anticipated clash after the two sides met in World Cup qualification three months ago.
Senegal came from two goals down to beat DR Congo 3-2 away in Kinshasa and go on to secure a place at next year’s World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico, and the USA, but the Congolese have since gone on to win the African World Cup playoffs for the best runners-up in November and are now one match from also taking a place in the World Cup field.
