Senegal take on Egypt tonight in the final of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon starting at 10 pm EAT.
The match will highlight a key battle for bragging rights between Liverpool stars Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. The duo has been instrumental for The Reds title campaign and will now go head-on in their respective national team colours.
Salah has scored twice in the continental competition and provided one assist while Mane has three goals and an assist to his name.
Ahead of the final, The Lions of Teranga have scored 9 goals and are only second to hosts Cameroon, who have hit the back of the net 14 times, finishing third after Saturday's dramatic comeback against Burkina Faso.
Egypt, on the other hand, have scored only four goals. The Pharaohs have on two occasions played out goalless draws: In the Round of 16 against Ivory Coast and in the semis against Cameroon before knocking out the Indomitable Lions on penalties.
Senegal have an edge over Egypt if their last five matches are anything to go by. The West African giants and tournament favourites have won thrice in their five encounters while Egypt won two.
Aliou Cissé's squad also has the world's best goalkeeper Edouard Mendy who plays for Premier League side Chelsea.
The two sides last played in 2015. At stake was a place at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
Senegal beat Egypt at home and away, finishing second in the group behind Tunisia while Egypt finished third. Among the scorers for Senegal was former Manchester United forward Mame Biram Diouf.
Interestingly, these two sides will face off again in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers next month. The winner over two legs will grace the global showpiece to be played later this year in Qatar.
Tonight final is set to be played at the Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé, Cameroon, a venue that came to the limelight last week when eight people lost their lives in a stampede. A minute-long moment of silence in honour of the departed fans shall precede the match.
Probable Lineups
Senegal:
Edouard Mendy (GK) Bouna Sarr, Kalidou Koulibaly, Abdou Diallo, Saliou Ciss, Cheikhou Kouyate, Nampalys Mendy, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Sadio Mane, Bamba Dieng, Boulaye Dia
Egypt:
Mohamed Sobhy, Omar Kamal, Mahmoud Trezeguet, Mahmoud Hamdi, Ahmed Fatouh, Ayman Ashraf, Amr El-Sulya, Mohamed Elneny, Mostafa Mohamed, Omar Marmoush, Mohamed Salah
Also Read: Aliou Cissé: The Story of the Senegalese Head Coach