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

The Stade Velodrome will play host to Comoros and Senegal as they face off in an international friendly on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams come into this first-ever meeting off the back of victories and will be eager to build on their most recent successes.

Match preview

After coming within touching distance of a place in the World Cup last 16, Senegal endured one of the biggest collapses in World Cup history, losing 3-2 to Belgium, and it was no surprise they parted ways with Pape Thiaw despite his AFCON exploits earlier this year.

Out of work since leaving Genoa in November 2025, Patrick Vieira was handed the reins but could only mastermind a 1-1 draw against Mozambique in his opening assignment, although he has since overseen a 1-0 victory over Ethiopia on Tuesday.

Despite collecting four points from his first two matches, Vieira’s start has been deemed somewhat underwhelming by some.

As a result, the 50-year-old is unlikely to take Sunday’s friendly lightly, even against a side 90 places below Senegal in the FIFA rankings.

The Lions of Teranga won their opening two warm-up matches of 2026 but have since failed to secure victory from any of the subsequent two, most recently playing out a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia in their final pre-World Cup outing.

Given the attacking talent at Senegal’s disposal, fans will be hoping for more goals following a pair of laboured attacking displays since the appointment of Vieira - a manager no stranger to criticism for his perceived pragmatism.

Having previously managed Togo, Sudan and Burkina Faso, Hubert Velud is no stranger to African football, so it was little surprise when Comoros turned to him following the end of Stefano Cusin’s three-year tenure earlier this year.

Facing Cameroon away was always going to be a tough opening assignment for the 57-year-old, so few will have been discouraged by a 3-1 defeat. However, Velud’s home debut brought a 1-0 victory over Namibia, courtesy of Benjaloud Youssouf’s decisive strike.

That result marked Les Coelacantes’ first competitive win in 10 months, the previous coming via a penalty shootout against Yemen to seal Arab Cup qualification in November 2025, a result that preceded a poor stretch of just two victories in 11 matches.

A win over Senegal would rank among Comoros’ most impressive achievements, but the Southern Africans are no strangers to upsets, having famously won away at Tunisia in the 2024 AFCON qualifiers despite being given just a 6.7% chance of victory at kick-off.

After five games without a goal, Comoros have scored in each of their last three matches - albeit just once per game - highlighting a need for greater attacking output if they are to have a realistic chance of success this weekend.

Comoros International Friendlies form:

Comoros form (all competitions):

Senegal International Friendlies form:

Senegal form (all competitions):

Team News

Benjaloud Youssouf has been directly involved in both of Comoros’ goals during this international break, with the 32-year-old proving to be a potent attacking threat from right-back.

Yannick Pandor endured a difficult outing in the defeat to Cameroon but responded with a composed display against Namibia, so he is expected to keep his place in goal.

Since Edouard Mendy’s retirement from international football, Yehvann Diouf has cemented his status as Senegal's first-choice goalkeeper, though Mory Diaw could feature from the start here.

Ibrahim Mbaye netted his fifth goal in 17 appearances with his recent strike against Ethiopia, and the Aston Villa winger continues to impress on the international stage.

Record appearance holder Idrissa Gana Gueye will be pushing for a start after making his 138th international appearance off the bench last time out.

Comoros possible starting lineup:

Pandor; Youssouf, Omari, Kari, Abdallah; Bourhane, Mohamed; Ahmed, Youssef; Ahmed, Youssef, Hadji; Aboubacar

Senegal possible starting lineup:

Diaw; Diouf, Koulibaly, Sane, Sy; I Gueye, P Gueye; Sima, Sarrr, Mbaye; Jackson