Cisse makes six changes for Brazil friendly

Aliou Cisse, head coach of Senegal consoles Ismaila Sarr after defeat during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Finals Final

by Staff Reporter

Tuesday Oct 01, 2019. 11:00

Senegal have made six changes from the side that finished runners-up at the Africa Cup of Nations as they announced 23 players for their friendly against Brazil next week.

Joint top scorer in Ligue 1, Habib Diallo of FC Metz returns for the first time in 11 months while Famara Diédhiou, who last played at the 2017 Cup of Nations finals in Gabon after which he moved from France to Bristol City in England and been largely forgotten by Senegal coach Aliou Cissem, is also back.

Defenders Racine Coly from Nice and Pape Djibril Diaw from Ligue 2 club Caen and midfielders Mamadou Loum Ndiaye of FC Porto and Sidy Sarr from Nimes were also named.

Left back Coly played in two of the 2019 Cup of Nations qualifiers while Diaw and Loum Ndiaye won their first cap in a friendly against Mali in March but all were not selected to go to Egypt.

This was also the case with Sarr, who has two caps.

Cisse has dropped Pape Abou Cisse (Olympiakos), Mbatye Diagne (FC Bruges), Moussa Konate (Amiens), Alfred Ndiaye (Al Shabab), Youssouf Sabaly (Girondins Bordeaux) and Henri Saivet (Bursaspor).

Senegal play Brazil in Singapore on October 10. The squad will assemble in Paris on October 6 before heading to Asia.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Abdoulaye Diallo (Genclerbirligi, Turkey), Alfred Gomis (Dijon, France), Édouard Mendy (Stade Rennes, France)

Defenders: Saliou Ciss (Nancy, France), Racine Coly (Nice, France), Krépin Diatta (FC Bruges, Belgium), Pape Djibril Diaw (Caen, France), Lamine Gassama (Goztepe, Turkey), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli, Italy), Salif Sané (Schalke 04, Germany), Sada Thioub (Angers, France), Moussa Wague (Barcelona, Spain)

Midfielders: Idrissa Gana Gueye (Paris St Germain, France), Cheikhou Kouyaté (Crystal Palace, England), Papa Alioune Ndiaye (Stoke City, England), Mamadou Loum Ndiaye (FC Porto, Portugal), Ismaïla Sarr (Watford, England), Sidy Sarr (Nimes, France)

Forwards: Keita Baldé (Monaco, France), Habib Diallo (FC Metz, France), Famara Diédhiou (Bristol City, England), Sadio Mané (Liverpool, England), M’Baye Niang (Stade Rennes, France).