Explainers

EGYPT and Senegal are rekindling their rivalry as Liverpool stars Mo Salah and Sadio Mane eye a place in the World Cup.But only one of the two Reds talismen will be on the plane to Qatar as the sides lock horns in a two-legged play-off.
No Salah and Egypt are looking to dump Afcon winners Senegal out of the World CupCredit: Getty
Sadio Mane and Senegal will be hoping for a repeat of the Africa Cup of Nations finalCredit: AFP
Salah’s Pharoahs will be desperate not only to make the World Cup, but also to earn revenge over the Lions of Teranga after they were beaten on penalties in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
Both of these sides would have fancied their chances against any other play-off opponent after breezing through their respective qualifying groups.
Egypt won 14 of a possible 18 points as they went unbeaten in a group also containing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon.
And Senegal claimed 16 of 18 points from Togo, Namibia and Congo before landing the Egyptians in an extremely unkind draw.
What time does Egypt vs Senegal kick off?

Egypt’s first leg against Senegal takes place on Friday, March 25.
The match kicks off at 7.30pm UK and Senegalese time – 9.30pm in Egypt.
It takes place at the Cairo International Stadium.

Is Egypt vs Senegal on TV and can I live stream it free?
Egypt vs Senegal is not on UK television.
But fear not, you can watch all the action legally via free streaming service Mola TV.
Team news
Main man Mo Salah is fit and raring to go for Egypt.
However, Carlos Queiroz’s men have a number of injuries.
Former West Brom star Ahmed Hegazy is out along with Akram Tawfik.
Ramadan Sobhi, formerly of Stoke and Huddersfield, is also out, as is Mohamed Hany.
Senegal have no major injury worries and are expected to welcome back Ismaila Sarr, who had missed Watford’s last three matches.
Egypt squad
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El-Shennawy (Al Ahly), Mohamed Abou-Gabal (Zamalek), Mohamed Sobhi (Pharco FC)
Defenders: Yasser Ibrahim, Mohamed Abdelmomen, Ayman Ashraf (Al Ahly), Omar Kamal (Future FC), Omar Gaber (Pyramids FC), Mahmoud Hamdy El-Wensh, Mahmoud Alaa, Ahmed Fatouh (Zamalek)
Midfielders: Hamdi Fathi, Amr El-Sulya, Mohamed Magdy Afsha (Al Ahly), Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal), Nabil Emad Dunga (Pyramids FC), Emam Ashour (Zamalek)
Forwards: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Omar Marmoush (VfB Stuttgart), Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet (Istanbul Basaksehir), Mostafa Mohamed (Galatasaray), Marwan Hamdi (Smouha), Ahmed Sayed Zizo (Zamalek)
Senegal squad
Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy (Chelsea, England), Alioune Badara Faty (Casa Sport), Bingourou Camara (Sporting Charleroi, Belgium)
Defenders: Bouna Sarr (Bayern Munich, Germany), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli, Italy) Abdou Diallo (PSG), Saliou Ciss (AS Nancy France), Pape Abou Cisse (Olympiakos, Greece), Fode-Ballo Toure (AC Milan, Italy), Youssouf Sabaly (Sevilla, Spain), Abdoulaye Seck (Antwerp, Belgium)
Midfielders: Idrissa Gana Gueye (PSG, France), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City, England), Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace, England), Pape Matar Sarr (Metz, France), Moustapha Name (Paris FC, France), Loum Ndiaye (FC Porto, Portugal), Pape Gueye (Marseille, France)
Forwards: Sadio Mane (Liverpool, England), Ismaila Sarr (Watford, England), Famara Diedhiou (Alanyaspor, Turkey), Bamba Dieng (Marseille, France), Keita Balde Diao (Cagliari, Italy), Habib Diallo (Strasbourg, France), Mame Baba Thiam (Kayserispor, Turkey), Boulaye Dia (Villarreal, Spain)
Latest odds
Egypt 17/10
Draw 13/8
Senegal 9/5
*Odds from Betfair correct as of Tuesday, March 22
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WALES are hosting Austria as they look to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958.The Dragons finished second to Belgium in their qualifying group but have received a kind draw, which sees them face two home ties to get to Qatar.
Gareth Bale has been picked in the Wales squadCredit: PA
Bale is likely to replace Real Madrid team-mate David AlabaCredit: AFP
Should they beat the Austrians, they will face Scotland or Ukraine in the play-off final in Cardiff.
However, this match will not now take place until at least June after being postponed due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Austria finished fourth in their qualifying group behind Denmark, Scotland and Israel.
But they qualified for the play-off by being one of the two best Nations League group winners not to have already made it to either the World Cup or the play-off.
When is Wales vs Austria?

Wales vs Austria takes place on Thursday, March 24 – TODAY.
The match kicks off at 7.45pm UK time – 8.45pm in Austria.
It is being held at the Cardiff City Stadium.
The sides last met in 2017 when Ben Woodburn scored the only goal in a 1-0 Welsh victory in World Cup 2018 qualifying.

What TV channel is Wales vs Austria on and can I live stream it?

Wales vs Austria is live on Sky Sports Main Event.
Coverage commences at 7pm – 45 minutes before kick-off.
To stream the game live, head to Sky Go or Now TV.
To watch in Welsh, head to S4C.

Can I watch Wales vs Austria for free?
Yes. S4C is free for all UK viewers.
To stream it live, head to the BBC iPlayer.
Team news
Wales
Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey have both been included in the Wales squad for their match against Austria.
And the Welsh have been handed a mega boost with the news that Bale is training normally after being omitted from the Real Madrid squad for El Clasico.
However, goalkeeper Danny Ward, Tyler Roberts and James Lawrence are all out.
Manager Rob Page said of the inclusion of Bale and Ramsey: “They’re big players for us, of course they are. We want them playing games coming into camp, but the good thing is they’re fit.
“I’ve spoken to many of the players and those two in particular, and they’re both raring to go.
“They both can’t wait to get into camp, so that’s really encouraging for a manager to hear.
“They’ve done it time and time again, haven’t they? I don’t think we’ve ever had a camp where we’ve had all our players playing the weekend before.
“But big players turn up for big games and they’ve proven that over time. The other way of looking at it is they’ll be fresh and raring to go.”
Replacement goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey will reach one hundred Wales caps if he plays against Austria and in Wales’ friendly the following week.
And Page said: “I can’t speak highly enough of him [Hennessey], I honestly can’t.
“He’s reacted in such a positive way since I gave the number one spot to Danny. The way he reacted was tremendous and he was fully supportive of Wardy.
“Watching him in training, some of the saves he pulls off are outstanding and when you do that, you’ll be ready.
“To have a number two like Wayne, who’s been number one for a long time and approaching 100 caps, it fills me with confidence.”
Austria
Gareth Bale’s Real Madrid team-mate David Alaba will be expected to captain the Austria side.
Former West Ham bad boy Marko Arnautovic is also in the squad alongside Watford goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann.
Austria manager Frank Foda has called on his team to make use of their possession and avoid getting hit on the counter-attack.
He said: “You could see in the World Cup qualifiers that they [Wales] are very strong, after all they haven’t lost a game at home.
“In general, they concede few goals and are good at switching games. We’ll have a lot of possession, we can’t afford to make any mistakes when passing and we have to avoid counter-attacks.
He added: “Such games are often decided in our heads. We have to be convinced of our own qualities and show a good mentality in the duels.”
Wales squad
Goalkeepers: Hennessey, A Davies, King
Defenders: B Davies, Rodon, Cabango, Ampadu, Mepham, N Williams, Norrington-Davies, Roberts, Gunter
Midfielders: Levitt, Ramsey, Colwill, Morrell, Vaulks, Allen, Wilson, Williams, S Thomas, Ilsanker
Forwards: Bale, Johnson, Harris, James, Matondo
Austria squad
Goalkeepers: Bachmann, Lindner, Pentz
Defenders: Alaba, Dragovic, Hinteregger, Lainer, Posch, Ulmer, Danso
Midfielders: Baumgartner, Grull, Laimer, Lazaro, Sabitzer, Schaub, Schlager, Seiwalk, Schopf
Forwards: Arnautovic, Gregoritsch, Kalajdzic, Weimann
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Latest odds
To win in 90 minutes
Wales 13/8
Draw 15/8
Austria 15/8
To qualify
Wales 20/23
Austria 9/10
*Odds from Betfair correct as of Sunday, March 20 More

SWEDEN are looking to put their poor form behind them as they take on Czech Republic in a World Cup playoff semi-final.The Swedes lost back-to-back group games against Georgia and Spain as they threw away top spot in qualifying Group A
The veteran Zlatan Ibrahimović is expected start up front along side Alexander Isak.Credit: EPA
Czech Republic were pretty mediocre in qualifying as they finished third in their group behind Belgium and Wales.
But they made it to the play-off by virtue of topping a Nations League group also containing Scotland, Israel and Slovakia.
The winner of this match will visit Poland in the play-off final.
The Poles received an automatic final berth after their opponents Russia were kicked out of the World Cup following the invasion of Ukraine.
What time does Sweden vs Czech Republic kick off?

Sweden vs Czech Republic on Thursday, March 24 – TODAY.
The match kicks off at 7:45pm in the UK.
It takes place at the Friends Arena in Sweden.
When the sides last met they played out a 1-1 draw in a friendly in 2016.

What TV channel is Sweden vs Czech Republic on and can I live stream it?

Sweden vs Czech Republic is live on Sky Sports
Coverage commences at 7.40pm – 5 minutes before kick off.
To stream the game live, head to Sky Go or Now TV.

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Team news
Sweden
40 year old Zlatan Ibrahimovic is fit and raring to go ahead of what will surely be his last World Cup if Sweden were to qualify.
Alexander Isaak hasn’t been in his best form this season with just eight goals in 33 apps, but the young Swede is still being linked heavily to Arsenal.
Captain Victor Lindelof is fit and is expected to start despite all the noise surrounding the Manchester United camp.
Czech Republic
Czech Republic are without Patrik Schick after the Bayer Leverkusen forward failed to recover from injury in time for Thursday’s fixture.
There is no rest for Czech captain Tomas Soucek after his header helped West Ham through to the Europa League quarter-finals last week.
But fellow West Ham team mate Vladimir Coufal is out injured, after he had surgery on a groin injury back in February.
Latest odds
Sweden Evens
Draw 21/10
Czech Republic 3/1
(Odds via Betfair) More

EUROPEAN champions risk going from heroes to zeroes in the space of less than nine months.The Azzurri won the Euros against England at Wembley last July, but now face missing out on the World Cup.
Jorginho missed penalties at home and away to group winners SwitzerlandCredit: Getty
North Macedonia will look to upset the odds and qualify for their second successive major tournamentCredit: Getty
A goalless draw against Northern Ireland in Belfast saw the Italians fail to make it to Qatar automatically, despite going through the entire qualifying campaign unbeaten.
Switzerland were the beneficiaries of that result as they finished top of the group, condemning Roberto Mancini’s side to a play-off at home to North Macedonia.
And to make matters worse, the play-off draw then handed them a likely away tie against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal if they win this match.
Italy’s Balkan opponents have come on leaps and bounds as a football power, qualifying for their first ever tournament when they reached Euro 2020.
And the Italians will be well aware that the North Macedonians beat Germany away in qualifying, so they can’t expect this one to be a formality.
What time does Italy vs North Macedonia kick off?

Italy take on North Macedonia on Thursday, March 24.
The match kicks off at 7.45pm UK time – 8.45pm in Italy and North Macedonia.
It takes place at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo.
The sides last met in 2017 when an equaliser from Aleksandar Trajkovski saw North Macedonia earn a surprise 1-1 draw in World Cup 2018 qualifying in Turin. Italy would go on to miss out on the World Cup.

What TV channel is Italy vs North Macedonia on and can I live stream it?

Italy vs North Macedonia is live on Sky Sports Arena.
Coverage commences at 7.40pm – five minutes before kick-off.
To stream the game live, head to Sky Go or Now TV.

Team news
Italy
Brazil-born duo Luiz Felipe and Joao Pedro have been called up to the Italy squad for this play-off.
However, there’s no emotional return for Mario Balotelli, who Roberto Mancini had recalled to his previous squad.
Centre-back Alessio Romagnoli has also failed to make the cut.
Italy are also without the star of the Euro 2020 final, Federico Chiesa, who missed out with a knee injury.
Defender Leonardo Spinazzola has been out since the European Championship with a ruptured achilles tendon and will play no part in this one.
There are also concerns over the condition of Lorenzo Insigne, Nicolo Barella and captain Giorgio Chiellini and the performances of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Manager Roberto Mancini has even confirmed that Chiellini is only likely to play in one of the two World Cup play-off matches, assuming Italy reach the final.
North Macedonia
Key midfielders Eljif Elmas and Tihomir Kostadinov are both out for North Macedonia while striker Adis Jahovic is also out.
Serie A legend Goran Pandev is unavailable after retiring from international football following Euro 2020 last summer.
That could lead Trajkovski to lead the line as he looks to get one over on Italy again.
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Latest odds
To win in 90 minutes
Italy 2/13
Draw 13/2
North Macedonia 15/1
To qualify
Italy 1/20
North Macedonia 9/1
What they said
Italy manager Roberto Mancini is in confident mood ahead of the play-off semi-final.
He said: “I am optimistic because I have players who won Euro 2020 starting from nothing when nobody believed in us.
“We must think about what we did to have more self-confidence, the team is solid and with quality.
“Our goal is to win the World Cup. To do it we have to start by winning these two games.
“We want to go to the World Cup to win it.” More