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Senegal vs Egypt news: Sadio Mane to pip Mo Salah to AFCON success in climactic final

Senegal celebrate opening the scoring of the AFCON semi-final

The two Liverpool stars meet in a highly-anticipated final on Sunday, but favourites Senegal look to have enough to see off an exhausted Egypt side.

While Senegal have improved as the tournament has gone on, Egypt have continued to limp over the line, and they could be overwhelmed by the favourites on Sunday evening. 

Sadio Mane is the obvious talisman of this Senegal side, and he'll be raring to go against club teammate Mohammed Salah in what is set to be a dramatic finale.

But while Senegal may be favourites, they'll be up against the most successful side to ever grace AFCON, with Egypt hunting a record eighth title in the tournament - a Senegal win would see them lift the silverware for the first time.

When: Sunday February 6, 19:00 GMT

Where: Paul Biya Stadium, Cameroon

How to watch: Sky Sports or BBC

Or follow live updates and stats via our match centre

Who is the ref for Senegal vs Egypt?

South Africa's Victor Gomes will take charge of the 2022 AFCON final

Victor Gomes takes charge of Sunday's final, in what will be his fourth game of the tournament.

The 39-year-old South African official has previously overseen Algeria's clash with Ivory Coast, where he awarded Ivory Coast a penalty and handed out five yellow cards.
Gomes will lead a trio of South African officials in the final, with both assistant referees also hailing from South Africa while the fourth official is from DR Congo.
AFCON 2022 record: Appearances (3) yellow cards (10) red cards (0) penalties (1)

Cup run so far

Senegal

Senegal started slowly in the group stage but still managed to top Group B despite only winning once.
They started their AFCON campaign with a slender 1-0 win over Zimbabwe, with Mane scoring a 97th minute penalty to clinch the win. They followed it up with two goalless draws against Malawi and Guinea.
In the round of 16, Cape Verde had a player sent off early into the match, but Senegal were forced to wait until after the break to score, with Sadio Mane eventually giving his side the lead after an hour. Bamba Dieng wrapped up the tie in injury time to send Senegal through to the quarter-finals.
There, they faced Equatorial Guinea and sealed a 3-1 win with Watford's Ismaila Sarr scoring the third. They replicated the scoreline in the semi-finals against Burkina Faso, with all four goals coming after the break.

Egypt

The Pharaos faced a tough task in Group D, drawn against Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Sudan.

A 1-0 loss to Nigeria in their opener didn't help matters, but they managed back-to-back 1-0 wins over Sudan and Guinea-Bissau to clinch second place.

However, another daunting task lay ahead when they faced Ivory Coast in the round of 16. A goalless 90 minutes failed to live up to expectations, but it did set up a nail-biting penalty shootout, won by - you guessed it - Mohammed Salah.

Egypt fell behind early in the quarter-finals against Morocco, but Salah scored to level the tie before Aston Villa's Trezeguet scored the winner in extra time.
Another goalless 90 minutes came in the semi-final against Cameroon, yet again Egypt prevailed in the shootout, somewhat helped by some woeful Cameroon penalties.

Senegal vs Egypt players in form

While it may be an obvious choice, both Mane and Salah have shone for their sides in the tournament.
Mane has netted three times so far, while Salah remains on two - although he has scored the decisive penalty in a shootout.

To read more about who is likely to light up the final, click below:

Mohamed Salah vs Sadio Mane: Which Liverpool star will shine in the AFCON final?

Egyptian goalkeeper Gabaski is also worthy of praise. Having come on as a late substitute against Ivory Coast, he turned out to be a hero of the shootout by saving Eric Bailly's penalty.
Egyptian goalkeeper Gabaski was the hero of the shootout, AFCON Feb2022
He performed superbly again in the shootout against Cameroon, saving two penalties as Egypt booked their spot in the final. He'll be a hard man to beat, even for a player as talented as Mane.

Senegal's Bamba Dieng is another to keep an eye on. Having scored twice already this tournament, he'll be keen to add to his tally on the big stage.

Last meeting

Egypt 0-1 Senegal (AFCON, Group G match - November 15, 2014)

The last meeting between these two sides also came in this tournament, although it came in the group stages as opposed to the final.
Mame Biram Diouf scored what turned out to be the only goal of the game just eight minutes into the tie.
Both Mane and Salah lined up for their teams that day.

Predicted Senegal vs Egypt teams

Senegal's squad photo ahead of an AFCON match, Jan2022

Predicted Senegal line-up: Mendy, Ciss, Diallo, Koulibaly, Sarr, Mendy, Gueye, Gueye, Dia, Mane, Diedhiou

Predicted Egypt line-up: Gabal, Fattoh, Abdelmonem, Hegazy, Kamal, Elneny, Ashraf, Al-Sulaya, Marmoush, Mohamed, Salah

Senegal vs Egypt predictions

While Egypt will be buoyed by their storied success in this tournament, Senegal have the better overall squad and will be much more prepared and rested.
Egypt's three consecutive games with extra time will surely slow them down, and we expect Senegal to win by two goals.

READ MORE: Liverpool vs Cardiff news: Reds should cruise past Bluebirds in FA Cup fourth round

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