"Senegal's superior pedigree and recent 3-1 win over Gambia show attacking intent, while Iraq's fragility (four losses in last five) and weak qualifying record suggests they'll struggle to contain a motivated home side in a group-stage encounter."

"Senegal's superior individual quality and stronger qualifying campaign should see them comfortably overcome Iraq, who have struggled against higher-tier opposition."

"Senegal enter with stronger pedigree and slightly better recent results, but both teams have generally been in low-scoring games, so a tight Senegal win with few chances is most realistic."