PREVIEW: Senegal and Iraq seek to secure third place in final group match

Senegal and Iraq will play out their final World Cup Group I clash at the Toronto Stadium knowing victory may be enough to secure round of 32 progression in third place.

Both teams lost to tournament favourites France and dark horses Norway in their opening two matches, and as such will need to win and hope other results go their way in order to sneak through as one of the eight best third place teams.

The pair will face an uphill battle. Iraq are currently last in Group I having shipped seven in those prior fixtures, while Senegal sit at the very bottom of the ‘lucky loser’ rankings with no points and a -3 differential.

That goal difference means the African side may have to beat Iraq by a large margin in order to make it through, but given their adversaries dire defensive record to date they will fancy their chances of doing just that.

Especially with Sadio Mane in the side. Even at 34 the Al Nassr forward is his country’s main man, and as the Lions of Teranga’s all time leading scorer he will be counted on to make a sizeable contribution against a team who have kept just one clean sheet in eight matches.

Ismaila Sarr has also emerged as a key player for Senegal following an outstanding spell at Crystal Palace, and will be all but guaranteed to start alongside his compatriot on the opposite flank.

Villareal’s Papa Gueye is likely to partner namesake and cap record holder Idrissa in midfield, with captain Kalidou Koulibaly providing further experience at the heart of defence.

But goalkeeper is a worry, after first choice Edouard Mendy limping off with injury against Norway. Number two Mory Diaw will be keen to show what he can do in the ex-Chelsea stop stopper’s absence.

Iraq, by contrast, are flying on a wing and a prayer. If they are to have even a possibility of progressing they need to beat Senegal by four goals, and hope that DR Congo, Belgium and Cape Verde above them all lose.

In order to pull off such a monumental feat Usood al-Rafidayn will have to overcome their own toothlessness in front of goal. Graham Arnold’s men managed one shot on target from 15 in their previous Group I games and a lowly 0.62 xg against France.

And their task will be made all the harder by opposition who notched up eight clean sheets in a row prior to the competition starting.

If the West Asians are to achieve the seemingly impossible then Ali Jasim will be central to their hopes. The Al Najma midfielder looked electric against Norway, and will see tonight’s tussle as an opportunity to further enhance a burgeoning reputation.

Al Dhafra’s Ibrahim Bayesh will want to redeem himself after performing poorly at the event so far, while Cracovia’s Amir Al Ammari is a surefire starter following assured displays in his debut World Cup.

But defenders Zaid Tasheen and Hussein Ali, of Pakhtakor and Pogon Szczecin respectively, can count themselves very fortunate if they make the XI given their struggles so far.

Senegal vs Iraq kicks off at 20:00 (BST) on ITV4 and ITVX, as well as RTE 2 and RTE Player for viewers in the Republic of Ireland.

For more detailed reports, reaction, and analysis of the World Cup as it happens, head to our website and favourite our page on OneFootball.