England vs Senegal

England and Senegal are set to trade tackles at the City Ground in their first-ever international friendly. 

Despite an uneventful performance, England lived up to their favorite tag in a narrow 1-0 win against Andorra last weekend, maintaining their perfect record in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying (W3). However, manager Thomas Tuchel cut a forlorn figure on the touchline and will seek an improved showing in England’s first outing at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground since beating neighbors Wales 4-1 in 1941. The Three Lions have won all three matches under the ex-Chelsea boss without conceding, yet another win isn’t a foregone conclusion. That’s because they’ve only won one of their last four international friendlies (D1, L2), courtesy of a 3-0 defeat of Bosnia & Herzegovina a year ago. Interestingly, they’ve bagged 11 goals in their previous four matches, with nine arriving beyond the 50th minute. 

Meanwhile, Senegal will be out to pick up another decent result in the British Isles after holding the Republic of Ireland to a 1-1 draw last week to stretch their outstanding unbeaten streak to 15 games (W10, D5). Though that stalemate knocked them down from a four-match winning run in friendly encounters, they should arrive in the East Midlands in high spirits. A 3-0 loss in their only previous H2H during the 2022 World Cup may dampen Senegal’s enthusiasm, yet they’ve only lost once in foreign lands since that dreadful defeat. Furthermore, they recently trounced CONMEBOL heavyweights Brazil 4-2 in Portugal, showing they can compete with the world’s best teams.