Senegal has a tough task at hand, as they prepare to take on a resilient Ecuador side in their match-day three final group encounter on Tuesday evening.
Ecuador finds themselves in a good position in Group A, having won their opening match against the host nation and going toe-to-toe with the Netherlands to salvage a point.
La Tri captain Enner Valencia has been the star of the team, banging two goals in their opening match and scoring a crucial 49th minute goal against the Oranje.
Gustavo Alfaro’s charges are currently occupying the number two spot on the group, level on points with the Netherlands.
The Lions of Teranga suffered a big blow even before the tournament started – when they lost their talisman Sadio Mane through injury.
Aliou Cisse and his team kickstarted their World Cup campaign on the back foot, losing their first match in the dying minutes of the game against Louis Van Gaal’s.
However, the Senegalese bounced back and gave themselves a fighting chance when they displayed a good performance against Qatar, beating them 3-1 – with goals from Boulaye Dia, Famara Diedhiou and Bamba Dieng.
The two sides only previously met once in a friendly match back in 2002, where Senegal edged past the South American side 1-0.
With the World Cup stage being a totally different ballgame, the African champions will head into the game under immense pressure, as they require nothing less than a victory to keep their World Cup and African dreams alive.
The two team meet at the Khalifa International Stadium, kick-off at 5pm SA time.
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