Diafra Sakho has been recalled to his international team for their crucial World Cup qualifier against Cape Verde Islands.

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Crucial World Cup qualifier on the horizon for Senegal

The West Ham forward was named in Aliou Cisse’s 26-man squad for the game, which will take place on Saturday 7th October at the National Stadium in Praia. Senegal head into the tie in third place within Group D – one point behind leaders Burkina Faso and Cape Verde Islands.

With World Cup qualifier firmly on the line for the international side, Senegal will be desperate for all three points on Saturday, needing to improve their position by two places to progress to Russia 2018. However, they have a crucial game in-hand on their opponents after the referee was found guilty of match manipulation in their 2-1 defeat against South Africa.

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Sakho set to join Cheikhou Kouyate on international duty

Sakho will join fellow Hammers teammate Cheikhou Kouyate for the qualifier, with the striker in line to feature for his country for the first time since October 2015 when he featured during Senegal’s 1-0 defeat to Algeria.

The 27-year-old has recovered well for the Premier League outfit having failed to engineer a move away from the London Stadium this summer. Travelling for a medical without the club’s consent in an attempt to flee Slaven Bilic’s side for more game time, Sakho has since got his head down and focussed on his football, scoring twice in the Carabao Cup.

Capped six times by Senegal, Sakho will be eager to maintain his current momentum and partake in such an important game for his international side. Meanwhile, captain Kouyate will head off almost certain of game time having been a mainstay in the squad since his debut in 2012. With 38 caps to his name, the midfielder has scored two goals for his country, featuring at the Olympic Games and African Cup of Nations in 2015.

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About the author
Leanne Prescott
Football writer covering various Premier League teams.