Appearances: 2 (Last appearance in 1986)
Current FIFA Ranking (As of March 3): 32
Captain: Yazid Mansouri (Midfielder)
Leading Scorer in Qualifying: 3 players tied with 3 goals. Rafik Saifi (Forward/Midfielder), Antar Yahia (Center Back), Karim Ziani (Midfielder)
Key Injuries: Mourad Meghni - Midfielder (Knee tendinitis - Expected back in late-April)
Key retirements since 2006: No key retirements
Team Overview:
The Desert Foxes make their return to the international stage with this upcoming World Cup. They qualified this by tying hated rivals Egypt for first place in their group and then beating Egypt in a playoff game. The team is solid defensively, having only allowed eight goals in their twelve matches. Algeria will need to count on their defense if they hope to make it to the next stage.
Algeria Vs Egypt World Cup Qualifying Playoff
Algeria dispelled the notion that they were a weak team by finishing fourth during the 2010 African Cup of Nations. They defeated heavy favorites Ivory Coast 3-2 along the way. They were beaten by Egypt 4-0 in the semifinal but during the match, they suffered three red cards and were down to 8 men.
At the moment, Algeria's goalie is Lounes Gaouaoui but he withdrew from the 2010 African Cup of Nations due to appendicitis. 25-year-old Faouzi Chaouchi started in his place and played well enough that coach Rabah Saadane now has a dilemma on who to start. Chaouchi was the starting goalie during playoff against Egypt and is now considered a national hero because he denied many opportunities for Egypt and held them scoreless. Gaouaoui has the experience and was Saadane's first choice goalkeeper so expect him to return to the starting post.
The strength of the Algerian team lies in the back four. Not only do they defend well, the defenders are actually the one that start the counterattacks on the Algerian team. Antar Yahia and Rafik Halliche are the two imposing centerbacks. Despite being a central defender, Yahia is actually one of the current goal scoring leaders for the Algerian team (he has 5 career international goals). He scored the goal against Egypt that sent the Desert Foxes through to the World Cup. Both men are strong in the air and can shut down the opposition. They managed to shut down African player of the year Didier Drogba during the Cup of Nations and Algeria will look for them to do the same against the likes of Wayne Rooney and Jozy Altidore.
The two wingbacks on the team, Madjid Bougherra and Nadir Belhadj, are as effective attacking as they are defending. They both regularly overlap and help the forwards and wingers on the attack. Belhadj is a very fast player and is one of their best passers. Bougherra is a catalyst in the back and is able to start many attacks on his own.
The four midfielders for the Desert Foxes are there to just hold the line and make sure that the team doesn't break down. The two central midfielders, Karim Matmour and captain Yazid Mansouri, help out the centerbacks and make sure that opposing forwards aren't able to make runs through the center of their team. However, they don't contribute on the offensive side of the ball as they have only scored twice (both by Matmour) in 85 career games for Algeria.
The two midfield wingers are the two most talented players on the team and the fortunes of the Desert Foxes will rest on their shoulders. They are Karim Ziani (more on him later) and Mourad Meghni, thought by the French to be the next Zidane. The 25-year-old has struggled with injuries throughout his 10 year career and has only managed to play in nine games for Algeria. When healthy, he has been able to show flashes as to why he has been compared to fellow Algerian Zinedine Zidane. Zidane, of course, chose to play for France instead of Algeria. He is highly skilled and has great ball control and vision. However, he is again dealing with injuries and will have to fight in order to regain his fitness.
The Algerian strikers are not an imposing group. They do not score a lot of goals and don't have the natural abilities that would strike fear in the opposition. Abdelkader Ghezzal is the center forward and will be expected to hold the ball to help his teammates. He is a very inconsistent player and is often subbed out due to his lack of impact on the game. The other striker is Rafik Saifi, who is the 6th most prolific scorer in Algerian history (18 career goals). Saifi is 35-years-old so he no longer has the speed nor the fitness to play and make a significant impact on the game. Unless someone steps up, the forward position for the Algerians will be a rotating door of futility.
Player to Watch: Karim Ziani
Ziani is the gem of the Desert Foxes. He currently plays in the German Bundesliga and is an extremely creative player. He is the focal point for the Algerian attack and will cause headaches for the opposing midfield wingers. He was essential during their qualifying campaign by scoring three goals and kick-starting many of their goal scoring attacks. He has great passing ability and will take many of the free kicks that Algeria has.
Prediction: Knocked out during the group stages
The final squad will not be announced until June 10 but here is a small list of players in the running to make the team.
Match Schedule
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