Senegal vs Poland, 2018 FIFA World Cup Group H Match Preview: Start Time, Probable Lineup and Match Prediction

Senegal will clash against Poland in the second match in the day. The Group H match will see both the sides returning to FIFA World Cup 2018, after a long hiatus. While Senegal will be competing at this World Cup after they last played in the 2002 WC quarter-finals, Poland will be marking their return to the WC after missing out at 2010 and 2014 editions.

Both the teams will be looking for their respective star players to fire in their tournament opener. For Senegal, the fans’ hopes will be pinned on Liverpool-forward Sadio Mane; whereas, the fans in Poland would be banking their hopes on Bayern Munich forward Lewandowski. Poland vs Senegal match is scheduled for 8.30 pm IST start time.

Both teams have a lot of pace in their attacks. While Bayern Munich star Lewandowski will again be the main man for Poland in the upcoming tie despite experiencing a disappointing season in the Champions League with Bayern Munich, their opponents will bank on Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane.

Mane scored 17 times while qualifying through Africa and 10 times in the Champions League. Lewandowski set a European qualification record with 16 goals in 10 matches to secure Poland's place in Russia.

The main worry for Poland is that Lewandowski lacks support as the team lacks star players. But the team have Rafal Kurzawa, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Piotr Zielinski, who are capable of keeping Lewandowski supplied with little chances.

"They (Senegal) are very good on counter-attacks - when they attack, they do it really quickly. They don't waste time when they have the ball. They try to get forward and fire off shots as quickly as possible. They are a really dangerous team," Lewandowski was quoted as saying by FIFA.com.

The other important player for Poland is Napoli's young midfielder Piotr Zielinski, who scored four goals in this season's Serie A. FIFA World Cup 2018 Schedule.

Mane, on the other hand, has plenty of match-winners around him like Moussa Sow, Diafra Sakho, M'Baye Niang, Mame Biram Diouf and Keita Balde. However, if these players misfire, Stoke City's Mame Diouf or Ismaila Sarr can act as their covers. 2018 FIFA World Cup Group H Preview: Schedule Timetable With Match Dates, Venues & Kick-Off Times in IST of Poland, Senegal, Colombia, and Japan in Football WC.

The eight provide different options, with Sow, providing a leading aerial presence, Sakho dangerous with his back to goal, Mame Diouf a tireless worker and the young and pacy Sarr is able to open space along the wings, where M'Baye Niang can also perform. At the back, Napoli defensive powerhouse Kalidou Koulibaly offers security and determination.

Having a wealth of such options has seen head coach Aliou Cisse juggle his options in the run-up to the World Cup. Goalless draws against Bosnia-Herzegovina and, especially, Luxembourg, where Senegal mustered 13 shots without finding the back of the net, imply he is yet to find the right formula.

So in the upcoming match, Poland, who got knocked out in the group stage in their last two appearances at the World Cup -- 2002 and 2006 -- will aim to go further while Senegal will look to start on a positive note, registering a win here.

Senegal Probable Starting Lineup: Diafra Sakho, Keita Balde, Sadio Mane, Cheikhou Kouyate, Badou Ndiaye, Idrissa Gueye, Lamine Gassama, Salif Sane, Kalidou Koulibaly, Youssouf Sabaly, and Khadime Ndiaye.

Poland Probable Starting Lineup: Robert Lewandowski, Arkadiusz Milik, Kamil Grosicki, Piotr Zielinski, Jacek Goralski, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Maciej Rybus, Michal Pazdan, Kamil Glik, Lukasz Piszczek, and Wojciech Szczesny.

Senegal and Poland, 2018 FIFA World Cup Group H Match Prediction: Poland 2-1 Senegal. (Inputs from IANS).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2018 04:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).