Brazil vs Senegal

Estádio José Alvalade forms the backdrop for an exciting international friendly between Brazil and Senegal.

Brazil dispatched Guinea 4-1 on Ramon Menezes’ debut as a caretaker manager last week in Barcelona, strengthening their formidable all-time record against African nations (W37, D2, L3). An overwhelming victory in an anti-racist encounter against Guinea helped the ‘Selecao’ bounce back from a 2-1 defeat to Morocco in their first game of 2023, marking only their second triumph in five internationals (D1, L2). But it’s merely a start to Brazil’s reconstruction process following a disappointing World Cup quarter-final exit in Qatar last December. After bringing his side back to winning ways, Menez’s next assignment is to plug the holes at the back that have seen the CONMEBOL heavyweights go five matches without a clean sheet after winning four out of five previous outings ‘to nil.’

Meanwhile, Senegal’s bid to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, which falls in January 2024, encountered a minor bump on the road as a 1-1 draw at Benin last week knocked them down from a four-game winning start to their qualifying Group L campaign. Nonetheless, the ‘Lions of Teranga’ have already booked their tickets for the final tournament. They now aim to gather momentum following an eye-catching run of seven unbeaten internationals (W5, D2 – 90mins only). Among the remarkable achievements during that exhilarating journey, one stands out prominently – the victory against Algeria in the African Nations Championship final in February. That’s also the only match in that run where Aliou Cisse’s team failed to open the scoring before halftime, testifying to Senegal’s propensity for fast starts.