Senegal have won their last three matches against Ethiopia by an aggregate score of 10-2: prediction for Ethiopia vs Senegal
The second-round match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign between Ethiopia and Senegal will take place on September 29 at Bahir Dar International Stadium. Neither team managed to win their Group J opener: Ethiopia lost 0-1 to Sudan, while Senegal drew 1-1 with Mozambique. The sides will meet for the first time in 29 years.
Ethiopia: late defeat after a successful preliminary round
Ethiopia came close to drawing with Sudan in the opening round but conceded the decisive goal in the 86th minute. Before that, Yohannes Sahle's side had comfortably come through the preliminary qualifying round, beating São Tomé and Príncipe twice — 3-0 and 1-0.
The level of opposition will now rise significantly. Ethiopia did not appear at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2023 or 2025, while at the 2021 tournament they picked up just one point from three group-stage matches.
Senegal: Vieira started with a draw, but the squad remains very strong
Patrick Vieira's first competitive match in charge of Senegal ended in a 1-1 draw with Mozambique. Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, but the opponents responded before half-time, and Senegal were unable to restore their lead after the break.
Following a disappointing World Cup campaign, the team need to stabilize their results quickly. At the same time, Vieira still has plenty of quality players at his disposal, including Lamine Camara, Pape Matar Sarr, Iliman Ndiaye and Jackson.
Match facts and head-to-head record
- Senegal have won their last three head-to-head matches against Ethiopia, scoring 10 goals and conceding two.
- The last meeting between these national teams took place in June 1997 and ended in a 3-0 win for Senegal.
- Ethiopia began their qualifying campaign with a 0-1 defeat, while Senegal opened with a 1-1 draw.
The gap in class could prove too wide: prediction for Ethiopia vs Senegal
Ethiopia are capable of maintaining a compact defensive shape for long spells, as they already showed against Sudan. However, facing a team with so many outstanding players will place a much greater strain on their defense.
Senegal made an underwhelming start to qualifying, but they are clearly superior to their opponents in terms of squad depth and individual quality. If Vieira's team improve their finishing, the visitors have every chance of securing a comfortable victory.
