Senegal have listed injured forward Sadio Mane for the World Cup qualifying double header against South Africa despite his club saying he might be out for six weeks.
Mane was substituted after a hamstring injury during a 2-0 World Cup win in Cape Verde this month with Liverpool confirming he might be out for close to two months.
However, coach Aliou Cisse named Mane among the 25 players for the crucial back-to-back fixtures against Bafana.
“In my mind there’s no doubt he will be with us for the double header against South Africa and that he will be 100% fit,” said the Senegal coach.
“Until now, he has just been doing some individual training – running in straight lines – but from next week, he is going to train harder and start working with the ball,” Cisse added.
Senegal need two points from the matches in Polokwane on 10 November and Dakar on 14 November to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
On the other hand, South Africa will qualify if they win both games.
Senegal will be hoping to make their second World Cup appearance after they got to the quarter-finals in their maiden outing in 2002 while South Africa are aiming for their fourth outing after featuring at the 1998, 2002 and 2010 (as hosts) editions.
