Senegal clashes with tournament hosts for quarterfinal berth

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Morocco are aiming to maintain their perfect record at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations when they face Senegal in their final Group A fixture.

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The tournament hosts have looked almost unstoppable lately and should get the better of the West Africans, who are a bit erratic at the moment.

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Morocco have four wins and two draws while Senegal have picked up just two victories in the last eight matches. The Atlas Lionesses’ wins came in the last four matches, including a 1-0 victory in the group stage of the last WAFCON.

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Senegal are coming off their first win of the tournament as they claimed a 1-0 victory over Kenya last time out. Seynabou Mbengue’s effort midway through the first half proved to be the difference for the West Africans.

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It was a solid return to winning ways for Senegal, who suffered a 2-0 defeat to Algeria in their opening fixture. They are currently third in the table on goal difference, and a win on Monday could put them in the mix to qualify.

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While manager Mame Cisse will be pleased to have got off the mark, Senegal’s overall form has been largely unconvincing lately. The Teranga Lionesses have lost four of their last six matches in all competitions.

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Sanaa Mssoudy’s late effort earned Morocco a 1-0 victory over Algeria in their previous fixture. That was the second win in Group A for Jorge Vilda’s team, who began their campaign with a 4-0 triumph over Kenya.

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The Atlas Lionesses are among the pre-tournament favourites to go all the way this year and are already well positioned to qualify from the group. They are three points clear at the top of the standings and only need a point on Monday to progress.

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While a draw is enough to qualify, Morocco will be keen to maintain their recent momentum.

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The North Africans are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in all competitions, winning the last four fixtures in this run.

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