After finishing with a silver medal in 2019, Senegal will continue their bid to claim the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022 with a last-16 tie against Cape Verde tonight.
They are one of the favourites to win the tournament, but a less than convincing group-stage showing means there is plenty of room for improvement in the knockout stages.
Sadio Mane scored a 97th-minute penalty as Senegal edged past Zimbabwe in their opening match, and that is the only goal they have scored all tournament as they followed it up with goalless draws against Guinea and Malawi.
Cape Verde finished third in their group but four points was enough for them to reach the last 16 for just the second ever time. A shock win over Senegal would send them into the quarter-finals and match their best AFCON showing from 2013.
Date, kick-off time and venue
The AFCON round of 16 game is scheduled for a 4pm GMT kick-off on Tuesday January 25, 2022.
The Kouekong Stadium will host the match.
Where to watch Senegal vs Cape Verde
TV channel: The game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Premier League.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers will be able to watch the game through the Sky Go App.
Live blog: Get minute-by-minute updates through Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog.
Senegal vs Cape Verde team news
Despite a frustrating draw in their last match, Senegal were boosted by the return of Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly to the starting lineup, and they will provide a key foundation at the back.
Cheikhou Kouyate hasn’t missed a minute of the tournament so far but is suspended for this tie after picking up two bookings in the group stage.
For Cape Verde, Garry Rodrigues started their first two group matches but was dropped to the bench against Cameroon. He was introduced at half-time and got the goal to earn a crucial point, and will be pushing for a recall to the starting XI.
Senegal vs Cape Verde prediction
Cape Verde edged through to the last 16 as one of the best third-placed teams, with their only win of the tournament coming against an Ethiopia team that had a man sent-off after 12 minutes.
Senegal have certainly not been at their best so far in Cameroon, but in what looks set to be a tight and nervy encounter, they have the star quality to make all the difference.
Senegal to win, 1-0.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Senegal wins: 14
Draws: 2
Cape Verde wins: 2
