football | Friday, November 18, 2022 2:59 PM (Revised at: Monday, November 21, 2022 4:48 PM)

Senegal vs Netherlands Bet Builder: 2.60 Builder for Crucial Group A Clash

Sam Ingram

Senegal vs Netherlands Bet Builder: Monday, November, 21st

Group A, matchday one, and you guessed it, bettingexpert is on hand to provide Senegal vs Netherlands bet builder tips. It’s Africa versus Europe and Frenkie de Jong against Idrissa Gueye as the most significant international tournament on the planet gears up for another thrilling instalment.

In this article:

Senegal vs Netherlands Preview
Senegal vs Netherlands Stats & Facts
Senegal vs Netherlands Bet Builder

Senegal vs Netherlands Preview

Monday, November 21st, 16:00 (UK)

Qatar plays host to the first-ever meeting between Senegal and the Netherlands, and what more of an illustrious setting could one hope to meet? The opening fixture of a World Cup finals, as African Cup of Nations reigning champions, take on a Netherlands side who have reached the World Cup final on three separate occasions.

Although it’s a tournament that harvests such emotion for the Dutch, full of awe-inspiring on-field memories, it’s one that often encourages despair. Having made the final match of three World Cup outings, the Netherlands lost all three. No nation in World Cup history has made it to the final so many times without getting their hands on Jules Rimet.

Right now, the Netherlands will feel bullish about their chances on matchday one. Firstly, the Dutch are unbeaten against African opposition in four World Cup games. Not only that, but in the dugout, the Dutch may have a trump card up their sleeve. Louis van Gaal is on board to oversee his third spell in charge of his country. In his solitary showing at the World Cup as the Oranje taskmaster, a 3rd-placed finish followed.

Before we can think of a 3rd place, runners-up, or dare I say it, a triumphant World Cup for the Netherlands, Senegal need negotiating first. And that’s no given. Sadio Mané has made the headlines for all the wrong reasons from his nation’s perspective. A last-minute injury picked up on Bundesliga duty has scuppered his trip to Qatar. The former-Liverpool forward will miss the tournament, which should prove a seismic blow.

Speaking to Wettbasis, Senegal shot-stopper Eduoard Mendy touched on the Mané-sized loss, “When I heard about Sadio’s injury, I was shocked for a few minutes. He is our best player, our leader. Without him, we might become more unpredictable from a playing point of view but still weaker. He is simply irreplaceable.”

They’ll now play three group games without their talisman.

“At first glance, we might think that we have been relatively lucky,” Mendy continued. “But it will still not be an easy task. Starting right away against the Netherlands will not be a pleasant task at all. Team Oranje is one of the favourites in my eyes.

“Nevertheless, we will do everything in our power to make it to the last 16. We have the potential.”

The Dutch have their own absentees, but not as severe. Memphis Depay, who was involved in more goals than any other player in UEFA’s World Cup qualification stage (18G+A), may miss the first game. He’s evidently a key component to this Dutch side, though injury has forced Depay to miss a large chunk of domestic football in 2022/23. So, unlike Mané, who will miss the entirety, it’s a race against time for Depay to be ready for when his nation requires.

Senegal vs Netherlands Preview Stats & Facts

Senegal became the first team to be eliminated from the World Cup (Russia 2018) because of the fair-play rule, receiving more yellow cards than Japan who progressed ahead of the Africans.
In dominant fashion, the Netherlands have won 11 of their last 14 matches on the World Cup Stage.
This is Senegal’s third appearance at a World Cup.
The Dutch averaged 3.3 goals scored per90 en route to Qatar from ten qualifying fixtures.

Senegal vs Netherlands Bet Builder

Worryingly for the Senegal fans watching back home, the Netherlands have never lost their opening game at a World Cup. That’s the longest unbeaten stretch of any nation. Six wins and two draws outline their savvy approach to the tournament, with Senegal needing to serve up a dose of World Cup magic to halt such an impressive statistic.

If the start of the year is anything to go by, as Sadio Mané lifted the African Cup of Nations aloft, the Netherlands face an arduous task. Aliou Cisse is the man tasked with masterminding safe passage to the knockouts. Once the Senegal captain in South Korea and Japan 20 years ago, now the man in the dugout. Cisse will be under no illusion of how big the opening fixture is. Win the first game and top spot is up for grabs. Lose the opener, and a handy Ecuador set-up may well pip you to the knockouts post.

Going back to the AFCON success that Senegal brought home, there’s no wonder several players led specific metrics. Edouard Mendy, for one, ended the tournament with the most Clean Sheets (3). In addition, Sadio Mané (28) drew the highest number of fouls, and Bouna Sarr (61) delivered the most crosses.

Yet, the tackles won metric is of the most interest to the proposed builder. Senegal and Everton’s Idrissa Gueye put in a tournament-topping total (17) which was rounded off by an eight-tackle showing in the final against Egypt. In the group stages versus the so-called minnows, Gueye registered one tackle in both games versus Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Cape Verde was the next task in the Round of 16, where Senegal eased to a 2-0 victory, with Gueye picking up one tackle. Then, moving into the knockout stages, where the competition picked up a notch, Gueye hit three tackles in the Quarters and Semi Final before the aforementioned eight challenges (including Extra Time) in the conclusive match against Mohamed Salah’s Egypt. So, at 1.83 for three, let’s make that the first stop in our two-pronged bet builder.

The subsequent punt heads to the Dutch camp in the shape of Virgil van Dijk passes. Suppose the fixture follows the route of the Netherlands having the lion’s share of possession, with Gueye nipping at the ankles of Dutch midfielders. In that case, the Netherlands’ defensive line should see a fair portion of the ball as they attempt to tire Senegal and create openings.

The Liverpool central defender often hits the 70/80/90+ lines for his club, with the Merseyside outfit wrestling possession from opposing teams. For his country? Well, in his recent Nations League performances against Belgium (60), Poland (62) and Belgium (54) at home, Van Dijk enjoyed plenty of time in possession. In World Cup qualification, from the six games he featured, he hit 116, 111, 88 (Turkey), 86 (Norway – A), 76, and 73 (Norway – H) – the teams in brackets are those relatively evenly-matched to Senegal quality-wise. The matches in the hundreds? Montenegro and Latvia.

To bring this article to a close, let’s go for Virgil van Dijk to rack up Over 63.5 Passes, bringing the builder to 2.60 for two selections. Not bad.