Everton bid farewell to two key players on Sunday as Idrissa Gana Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye played their final match before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations. Both featured from the start in Everton’s encounter with Chelsea and will travel to Morocco on Monday to link up with their national squads in pursuit of continental honours.
The pair now join a growing list of Premier League players set to miss domestic action over the Christmas and New Year period, leaving David Moyes to reshuffle his midfield and attacking options.
The tournament runs from from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026 and could potentially leave Everton short of the two players for a total of seven games, potentially returning for the Leeds or Brighton fixtures. We look at the potential returns and predict Senegal's path for continental glory.
Group Stage
Senegal have been drawn in Group D alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin and Botswana, and are widely expected to progress from the group with relative ease.
With the tournament also allowing the four best third-placed teams to advance, qualification for the knockout stages looks highly likely. However, Senegal will be targeting top spot to secure a more favourable route through the latter stages of the competition.
Based in Tangiers, the two Everton players are set to begin their AFCON campaign against Botswana on 23 December, with their final group fixture coming against Benin on 30 December.
Should Senegal fail to progress beyond the group stage, Everton could see Gueye and Ndiaye return in time for the home league clash against Brentford and be available ahead of the FA Cup third round, where the Blues will be hoping to mount a strong run in the competition.
Prediction: Finish 1st
Round of 16
This is where the picture becomes less clear, as predicting progress at AFCON is notoriously difficult, with the tournament rarely short of surprises.
The winners of Group D will face a third-placed team in the knockout phase, while a second-place finish would set up a far tougher tie against the winners of Group E, a position likely to be claimed by Algeria. The 2nd game against DR Congo will likely decide the top spot.
If Senegal top the group as expected, the Teranga Lions would be favoured to progress past a third-placed qualifier in the next round. An exit at that stage would see them return home shortly after 6 January, bringing Gueye and Ndiaye back into Everton contention soon after.
Quarter Final
The challenge intensifies in the quarter-finals, where Senegal could face tournament hosts, and widely regarded favourites, Morocco.
That encounter would present a stern test, with Iliman Ndiaye potentially coming up against Achraf Hakimi, while Idrissa Gueye would be tasked with containing Morocco’s midfield creativity in what could prove one of the competition’s defining clashes.
Any defeat for Senegal would likely coincide with Everton’s FA Cup tie, meaning Gueye and Ndiaye could return in time to feature against Aston Villa, should they be immediately reintegrated into club contention.
Semi Final and Final/3rd Place play-off
Predicting a semi-final opponent is fraught with uncertainty, given the depth of quality across the tournament, but should Senegal progress that far, Gueye and Ndiaye would remain in Morocco until the competition’s conclusion, either contesting the final or the third-place play-off.
That scenario would see their return pushed into mid-January, or potentially early February if David Moyes opts to grant them a short rest period following their international commitments.
While Evertonians will be hoping their two Senegalese stars return as African champions, an earlier comeback to bolster the Blues’ campaign would also be warmly welcomed.