Senegal eye quarter-final berth

Win over Zimbabwe will see Aliou Cisse's men progress to knockout stages

FRANCEVILLE: Sadio Mane-inspired Senegal will become the first qualifiers for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals if they defeat upstarts Zimbabwe in Franceville on Thursday.

Senegal enter the match with three points, Algeria and Zimbabwe have one each and Tunisia none. The northern African neighbours meet in the first match of a double-header in southeastern Gabon.

Qualifying with a game to spare would make a welcome change for the Teranga Lions after two disastrous recent Cup of Nations campaigns.

Ranked among the favourites when Gabon co-hosted the 2012 tournament, Senegal fell to Zambia, co-hosts Equatorial Guinea and Libya and made a humiliating early exit.

Three years later they returned to Equatorial Guinea and after beating Ghana, drew with South Africa and lost to Algeria to once again bow out after the first round.

Coach and former national team star Aliou Cisse is convinced Senegal will not commit the same mistakes this time.

"Perhaps we were overconfident in previous campaigns and believed the media hype about being among the favourites," said Cisse. "I believe there is more humility within the squad now — a realisation that we are just one of many contenders to become African champions."

Beating Tunisia 2-0 last Sunday through goals from Liverpool attacker Mane and Kara Mbodj within the first 30 minutes was a promising start for Cisse and his squad.

Only three of the eight first-round matches played so far across the four groups have produced victories and Senegal were the only side to win by more than one goal.

Algeria and Tunisia will also be in action earlier in the day.