Preview: Seychelles vs Gambia - prediction, team news, lineups

Gambia aim to close their World Cup campaign on a positive note as they face Group F whipping boys Seychelles on Tuesday in what is a dead-rubber clash at the neutral National Sports Complex Pitch 1 in Mauritius.

Both teams are already out of contention, with the Pirates – the nominal hosts – propping the bracket without a point, while the ‘visitors’ sit fourth on 10 points (W3, D1, L5).

Match preview

Gambia have shown improvement in the latter part of the campaign, but collecting only four points from their opening six fixtures proved costly enough to end their qualification hopes early.

Despite securing a 3-1 victory over Kenya in round seven, wins for leaders Ivory Coast and Gabon in their respective encounters of that matchday broke the camel’s back for Johnny McKinstry’s side, who could no longer mathematically make up the 10-point gap to second place.

Gambia produced one of the most captivating contests of matchday nine in the African qualifiers against Gabon, with the seven-goal thriller ending 4-3 in favour of the Panthers, a result that perfectly summed up the Scorpions’s strengths and frailties at both ends.

McKinstry’s men have now notched 20 goals in the campaign – the second-highest tally in Group F – while conceding 18, with only Seychelles shipping more in the section.

Adding to that impressive attacking record appears almost certain against a side they put five past in the reverse meeting, especially as the nominal hosts possess the worst record across all groups in the qualifiers.

Indeed, Seychelles have conceded a total of 46 goals – the most in the campaign – while netting the fewest of all teams in the African preliminaries with just two.

The Pirates head into this encounter following a 7-0 mauling at the hands of Ivory Coast, and while conceding multiple times on Tuesday seems inevitable, the rare positive for Ralph Jean-Louis’s men is that they face a side against whom they registered one of their only two goals in the qualifiers.

Seychelles have now lost each of their last seven matches across all competitions, drawing blanks in the most recent five, while the only time they avoided defeat this year was a 1-1 draw with Lesotho in the COSAFA Cup in June.

That remains the Pirates’s solitary ‘positive’ result in 14 outings stretching back to 2023, while their most recent success came in a friendly against Bangladesh (1-0) in March 2023, following a narrow win over Sri Lanka (1-0) in November 2021.

Securing victory against their 115th-ranked opponents – 88 places higher in the FIFA rankings – appears a tall order, so avoiding defeat would count as a huge achievement.

Seychelles World Cup Qualifying - Africa form:

Seychelles form (all competitions):

Gambia World Cup Qualifying - Africa form:

Gambia form (all competitions):

Team News

Under suspension rules for accumulated bookings, Imra Raheriniaina is meant to miss Tuesday’s encounter after receiving a yellow card against Ivory Coast, having already been booked in the previous game.

The same applies to 25-year-old right winger Dean Mothe, who received cautions in the Pirates’s last two games of the campaign.

Mathiot Juninho made his first appearance for Seychelles in over two years, and it remains to be seen if the defender retains his place after the team conceded seven in their previous outing.

Changes could come in attack, with Samuel Okolie pushing for a starting berth after coming off the bench against Ivory Coast, which could see either Lorenzo Hoareau or Brandon Labrosse make way.

For Gambia, Joseph Ceesay is also meant to miss Tuesday’s game through suspension after receiving a booking last time out, marking his third in consecutive World Cup qualifiers.

Brighton & Hove Albion winger Yankuba Minteh scored his fifth goal of the tournament last time out to move level as the country’s joint top scorer alongside Musa Barrow, with both players expected to retain their roles in midfield and attack respectively.

After netting a brace last Friday, Adama Sidibeh looks undroppable, making it difficult for Ali Sowe to reclaim a starting spot, especially if head coach Johnny McKinstry keeps faith with his 4-4-2 system, considering both frontmen impressed in the previous game.

Seychelles possible starting lineup:

Michel; Mathiot, Mellie, Franchette, Hausl, Sopha; Dijoux, Joubert, V Fred; Okolie, Hoareau

Gambia possible starting lineup:

Gaye; Saine, Gomez, Kinteh, Sanyang; Fadera, Bajo, Adams, Barrow; Minteh, Sidibeh

We say: Seychelles 0-4 Gambia

Gambia have been explosive in attack throughout the campaign, netting eight in their last three matches, so another emphatic victory appears almost inevitable against a Seychelles side that owns the leakiest defence in the African qualifiers.

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