Sadio, Mane man for Senegal
- Coach: Aliou Cisse
- Star players: Sadio Mane,
- Drissa Gueye, Alfred N'Diaye
- Best World Cup result: Quarter-finals (2002)
- Performance at last World Cup: Did not qualify
Senegal are blessed with a wall of muscle in midfield.
Everton's Idrissa Gueye, Wolves' Alfred N'Diaye and West Ham's Cheikhou Kouyate will present formidable opposition around the centre circle, a neat blend of speed and power.
Gueye, in particular, babysits the back four and feeds the front three, a remarkable automaton who never stops running. He performs an N'Golo Kante-like role for Senegal and his consistency will prove vital.
But it's the main man in Liverpool's Sadio Mane who'll make or break the campaign for the Africans.
For much of the season, he's played a support act to the phenomenal Mo Salah at Anfield, often overlooked, despite chipping in with 10 goals and seven assists in the league.
But Salah's injury struggles and Senegal's reliance upon their forward should allow Mane to step away from his clubmate's shadow.
Coach Aliou Cisse still isn't certain of his best XI, but he has no doubts about his talisman.
Mane is primed for a memorable World Cup.
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