Preview: France vs Senegal - prediction, team news, lineups

Seeking a sensational repeat of their 2002 success against the World Cup 2026 favourites, Senegal pit their wits against France in Tuesday's Group I opener in East Rutherford.

The deposed African champions memorably stunned Les Bleus 1-0 over two decades ago, the beginning of a swift end for the then-defending champions.

Match preview

Trailing only Spain in the favourites list in our World Cup betting strategy, France have many fans' votes to exorcise the demons of 2022 and send trailblazing head coach Didier Deschamps off on the highest of highs this summer.

The only living man to have become a World Cup winner as a player and manager, Deschamps will vacate the hotseat for Zinedine Zidane once the 2026 edition draws to an end - an edition in which the erstwhile water carrier can break the all-time record for manager victories.

Deschamps has overseen 14 match wins at the Mundial, and a perfect group stage will see the Bleus boss overtake the current best of 16 achieved by Helmut Schon, but that ought to be easier said than done.

Erling Haaland's Norway will also pose a stern test to France's World Cup credentials, but the 2018 winners dropped just two points in Qualifying to reach the Finals for the eighth time in a row; four of the last seven tournaments have also seen Les Bleus make the showpiece match.

A 2-1 friendly loss to Ivory Coast on June 4 led to some doubt about France's World Cup favourites credentials, but the Michael Olise-inspired Bleus got back on track with a 3-1 success over Northern Ireland four days later, meaning that they have now scored multiple goals in nine of their last 10 fixtures.

Also navigating their World Cup qualification campaign without a single defeat, Senegal have a third successive Mundial appearance to look forward to, after a 2022 last-16 exit succeeded a group-stage elimination in Russia.

The Lions of Teranga took home the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations trophy in between those two World Cup campaigns, and they could still claim to have conquered the continent in the 2025 edition too, if the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturns the landmark CAF ruling that went in Morocco's favour.

Since 'defeating' the Atlas Lions in the AFCON showpiece, Pape Thiaw's men have bested Peru and Gambia in friendlies, but their preparations concluded in dismal fashion; a 3-2 loss to co-hosts USA preceding a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia.

The latter result snapped Senegal's 17-match scoring sequence across all competitions, but also marked a respectable fifth clean sheet from seven for the Lions of Teranga, whose head coach has the fondest memories of France at the World Cup.

Indeed, Thiaw was a member of the Senegal squad that got the better of Les Bleus in Seoul 24 years ago, although he was forced to watch on from the bench as the late Papa Bouba Diop struck the game's only goal.

France form (all competitions):

Senegal form (all competitions):

Team News

France were rocked by reports that Arsenal's William Saliba could miss the entire tournament after aggravating a back injury in the Champions League final, but fears over the centre-back were quickly allayed, and Saliba has returned to full training ahead of Tuesday's match.

Fellow defender Jules Kounde is also good to go despite straining a muscle during the win over Northern Ireland, while number one Mike Maignan missed training on Saturday for load management reasons but is not nursing anything serious.

Headlining a fear-inducing front four, Kylian Mbappe enters the World Cup on 56 goals for France, putting him just one shy of the all-time men's record set by Olivier Giroud in Qatar.

A man who will surely become Les Bleus' leading male goalscorer comes face-to-face with Senegal's unrivalled net rippler, as Sadio Mane - absent from the 2022 World Cup due to injury - is fit and raring to go this time around.

There are a few bumps and bruises in Thiaw's squad, as Assane Diao missed training earlier this week due to a contusion, Cherif Ndiaye was absent on Saturday for unexplained reasons, and Everton veteran Idrissa Gueye did not complete the full session as a precautionary measure.

However, there are no major concerns over any of the trio, although Ndiaye is likely to lose out to Nicolas Jackson for the number nine spot, in spite of the Chelsea man's sending-off against Saudi Arabia.

France possible starting lineup:

Maignan; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Olise, Doue, Mbappe; Dembele

Senegal possible starting lineup:

Mendy; Diatta, Koulibaly, Niakhate, Diouf; Camara, P. Gueye; Sarr, Diarra, Mane; Jackson

We say: France 3-1 Senegal

France have seldom failed to bring the entertainment in recent internationals, scoring and conceding in each of their last five games, while each of their last nine have gone above the three-goal mark.

Tuesday's heavyweight tussle should be no different owing to the offensive quality on show, but the sheer firepower at Deschamps's disposal should comfortably carry the 2022 runners-up over the line.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.