DAKAR, Senegal - Stoke City striker Mame Biram Diouf will miss Senegal's 2018 World Cup qualifying double-header against Burkina Faso due to a knee injury, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has said..
The 29-year-old Diouf joins Rennes goalkeeper Abdoulaye Diallo on the sidelines for the September 2 match in Dakar, as well as the return fixture in Ouagadougou three days later.
Senegal will however still be able to call on in-form Liverpool winger Sadio Mane, and a host of other players based in France, Belgium, Italy and England for the crucial match.
The Lions of Teranga are third in Group D with three points from two matches and trail leaders Burkina Faso and second-placed South Africa by one point. Cape Verde are bottom after back-to-back defeats.
South Africa face Cape Verde in Praia on Friday and then host the Blue Sharks in Durban on Tuesday. Bafana Bafana will likely need to pick up victories in both games if they hope to qualify for Russia, irrespective of the result in Group D's other games.