Doha, Dec 3 (AP) Senegal coach Aliou Cisse was unable to attend a news conference a day before his team's World Cup game against England because of illness.

Cisse, who has been ill and has a temperature, also missed team training on Friday. But he is planning to be on the sideline Sunday when Senegal takes on England in the round of 16 at Al Bayt Stadium.

Also Read | Keep Phones Away from Kids and Let Them Play to Avoid Obesity, Says Former Indian Cricketer Kapil Dev.

"He's been sick for a couple of days now and he let us take charge of training yesterday with his instructions," Senegal assistant coach Regis Bogaert said Saturday.

"Hopefully tomorrow he will be able to be on the bench. We are sure that at 10 p.m. he will be there with the team, for sure."

Also Read | India Likely Playing XI for 1st ODI vs Bangladesh: Check Predicted Indian 11 for Cricket Match in Dhaka.

England is favoured to progress to the quarterfinals, but Boagaert believes other surprise results at this year's World Cup can inspire Senegal.

"The message is a strong one," he said.

"We've seen Cameroon can beat Brazil and Tunisia can beat France so we know Senegal can beat England. That's what we're aiming for. That's an important message." (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)