Ethiopia vs Senegal – News and Probable Lineups

Ethiopia and Senegal will collide at the Bahir Dar International Stadium in Group J on Tuesday, both teams looking to recover from disappointing starts and claim their first victory in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

This encounter marks the first matchup between the two nations in nearly 29 years, with Senegal’s Lions of Teranga achieving a 3-0 win in a similar AFCON qualifying match back in June 1997 thanks to two goals from Souleymane Sane along with Omar Traore’s 68th-minute goal.

Match overview

Ethiopia faced frustration in their opening qualifier on Thursday, suffering a narrow 1-0 loss to Sudan after conceding a late goal just four minutes from full-time.

With the score goalless at half-time, Mohamed Eisa delivered a crucial goal for Sudan in the 86th minute, securing an essential opening win for the Falcons of Jediane at the Juba National Stadium.

Having advanced to the 2027 AFCON qualifiers following an impressive run in the preliminary stage, Ethiopia secured a 4-0 aggregate victory over Sao Tome and Principe, winning the first leg 3-0 on March 27 and ensuring a 1-0 success in the return fixture at the Dire Dawa International Stadium four days later.

After failing to qualify in 2023 and 2025, Yohannes Sahle’s squad is hoping to make their first AFCON appearance since 2021, where they finished last in Group A with just one point across three matches.

While Ethiopia aims to start scoring in the qualifiers on Monday, they face the challenge of a Senegal side that has triumphed in their last three encounters, netting 10 goals while allowing only two since a 2-1 friendly win in November 1963.

It has been six months since the Confederation of African Football stripped Senegal of their 2025 AFCON title and awarded it to Morocco. Senegal kicked off their 2027 qualifiers on Thursday but were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw against Mozambique in Patrick Vieira’s inaugural match as head coach.

Aston Villa’s Nicolas Jackson scored from a neatly constructed team move in the 32nd minute to give Senegal the lead, but following Geny Catamo’s equalizer for Mozambique just before half-time, the visitors struggled to create significant chances in the second half.

This result followed a somewhat underwhelming performance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where the Lions of Teranga lost three out of their four matches, facing successive defeats to France and Norway in the group stage before being eliminated by Belgium in the round of 32.

Despite the talent in their squad, Senegal could not perform on the big stage, managing only three points from three group matches, finishing third in Group I before losing 3-2 to Belgium in extra time in the round of 32 after squandering a two-goal lead in the last three minutes of normal play.

Vieira’s team aims for a seventh consecutive appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations, a streak that began after missing the 2013 edition, where they claimed their first-ever title in 2021 with a penalty shootout win against Egypt in the final.

An extra-time strike by Pape Gueye in the 2025 final against host nation Morocco earned Senegal their second AFCON trophy back in January, but the title was subsequently revoked by the CAF Appeal Board and awarded to the Atlas Lions after ruling that Senegal’s late protest constituted a refusal to play.

Team News

Abel Yalew scored twice to propel Sao Tome and Principe during the AFCON qualifying preliminaries back in March, and the 30-year-old forward is expected to lead Ethiopia’s attack once more.

Bereket Samuel, Yared Baye, Samuel Yohannes, and Bekele Berhane are likely to form the defensive line, alongside 27-year-old goalkeeper Abubeker Nura, while Gatoch Panom, who debuted in November 2012, and 28-year-old Habtamu Tekeste are anticipated to partner in midfield.

Despite the disappointing first match result against Mozambique, Vieira may choose to maintain an unchanged starting XI at the Bahir Dar International Stadium, with Lamine Sy, Sadibou Sane, Moussa Niakate, and Brentford’s El Hadji Malick Diouf making up the back four.

Lamine Camara, who recently made his 38th appearance for the Lions of Teranga, is expected to continue in his midfield role alongside Pape Guaye and Juventus loan player Pape Matar Sarr.

Ibrahim Mbaye, who came on as a substitute against Mozambique, could earn a start on the right flank, while Manchester City’s Iliman Ndiaye may also be considered to join Jackson in the attacking trio.

Ethiopia probable starting XI:

Light; Samuel, Baye, John, Berhane; Search, Text, Scanner, Cutout; Markne, Yale

Senegal probable starting XI:

Diouf; Diouf, Niakate, Sane, Sy; Gueye, Camara, Sarr; Who, Who, Jackson

Senegal has one of the continent’s most formidable lineups, and despite their slip against Mozambique in the season opener, they have the capability to quickly regain their form. Given the disparity in skill and experience between the two teams, we anticipate Vieira’s squad to secure a decisive win at the Bahir Dar International Stadium on Tuesday.