Friday's pivotal Group A match between Senegal and World Cup hosts Qatar will take place at the Al Thumama Stadium.
Following their losses on the finals' opening day, both countries are now seeking to catch up.
Qatar utterly failed in their match against Ecuador on Sunday, the contest's opening match, losing 2-0 to the South American team.
Their performance against CONMEBOL's least talented team was a clear sign of their status on the world stage, but fortunately for them, there is still time for them to disprove those opinions.
The truth, though, is that Qatar lost its opening match, making it the first host nation in World Cup history to do so.
Not only that, but the Maroons are the first hosts since the USA's failure to do so in their 1994 semifinal loss to Brazil to not have a shot on target in a match at the championships.
Qatar team world cup stats
According to manager Felix Sanchez, his team was "nervous," and their behavior levels have the appearance of a team that froze under pressure.
Given that this was a team that won the Asian Cup in 2019, the fact that they appeared unable to do fundamental skills like passing and pressing raises the possibility that there was a mentality problem.
When they were invited to participate in the 2021 Gold Cup, they repeated their top-scoring performance. However, attacking partners Almoez Ali and Akram Afif were spectators during the game against Ecuador.
As they have yet to prove themselves capable of fighting at this level, another dismal loss here will further strengthen the claims against them being hosts in an international football sense.
Their attack's build-up play was simple to watch, and they generally played good defense.
Senegal team predictions and stats
However, the Lions of Teranga also suffered a 2-0 loss as a result of Edouard Mendy's two grave mistakes.
The first shot on goal the Dutch got during the game - a header by Cody Gakpo in the 84th minute shows just how effectively Senegal restrained them for the majority of the game.
However, given the competition they will be up against, Senegal appears to have a better chance of recording their first shutout in nine World Cup finals games.
They only gave up two goals on their way to winning the Africa Cup of Nations at the beginning of the year, and they allowed just three goals in their final six games before this tournament.
Their defensive performance in Africa has been impressive.
However, they will need to find a clinical edge to secure a crucial three points, and Aliou Cisse's team faces a significant challenge without Sadio Mane.
Even when Mane was well, Cisse had problems settling on a consistent starting striker since Famara Diedhiou, who led them in qualifying goals, has struggled with injuries this season.
Both backup goalkeepers have played in pre-tournament friendlies, and Qatar's Saad Al Sheeb looked quite shaky in the game against Ecuador.
Meshaal Barsham is the obvious candidate if Sanchez decides to switch things up because he saved the crucial penalty in their 2021 Arab Cup final triumph against Egypt and is thought to be less unpredictable.
Al Sheeb was one of four players issued cautions on Sunday, and because Karim Boudiaf, Ali, and Afif, three strikers, are also unable to play against the Dutch, all of them face suspension.
As one of the five centurions likely to start, captain Hassan Al Haydos will play in midfield and earn his 171st cap for Qatar.
Abdou Diallo was forced to leave the match against Holland due to cramps, but Senegal has stated that he is healthy and can return to training right away.
That will be a comfort because Diallo had been filling in as a temporary left-back due to Fode Ballo's injury to Toure in the weeks leading up to the championship game.
Cheikhou Kouyate, a midfielder for Nottingham Forest, is less lucky because he was forced to leave the game due to a muscular injury of his own.
After his disastrous performance on Monday, Edouard Mendy may be fired, with Seny Dieng of the Queens Park Rangers reportedly ready to step in.
KBC Matches today in world cup 2022
The match will be live on KBC Channel 1. Another match that will be live is England vs USA from 10.00 pm.
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