The Road To The World Cup
The Algerians coasted through the group stage with only one loss thanks to resilient defending, but their World Cup play-in versus Burkina Faso was a wild one. The first leg in Ouagadougou saw Burkina Faso prevail 3-2, but the Fennec Foxes managed two crucial away goals. Algeria won the return leg in Blida 1-0, and advanced on away goals, after finishing 3-3 on aggregate.
FIFA rejected Burkina Faso’s claim that Algeria captain Madjid Bougherra was ineligible for the second leg, after he was booked in the first leg.
Group Stage Schedule
| Date | Match | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-06-17 | Belgium vs Algeria | 12:00 PM ET |
| 2014-06-22 | Algeria vs South Korea | 3:00 PM ET |
| 2014-06-26 | Algeria vs Russia | 4:00 PM ET |
Formation: 3-5-2 / 4-3-3
Algeria’s formation relies on strong wing play and midfielders that can maintain defensive responsibility while looking to push forward. It’s a difficult task, but it’s also one made easier by the presence of Bougherra on the back line.
Upfront, Sporting Lisbon striker Islam Slimani is the goalman, alongside Dinamo Zagreb forward El Arbi Hillel Soudani.
Manager: Vahid Halilhodžić
The former Bosnian footballer has quite the resume. He’s managed all over the world, and before his gig with Algeria, Halihozdic was with Dinamo Zagreb, and the Ivory Coast before that. He became the Foxes manager on July 2, 2011. Since then he’s won 17 games, lost five times and drawn four times, which is good for a 65.38 percent winning percentage.
Projected starting XI
GK: Raïs M'Bolhi
DF: Faouzi Ghoulam
DF: Liassine Cadamuro-Bentaïba
DF: Madjid Bougherra
DF: Mehdi Mostefa
MF: Carl Medjani
MF: Nabil Bentaleb
MF: Saphir Taïder
FW: El Arbi Hillel Soudani
FW: Islam Slimani
FW: Sofiane Feghouli
Projected substitutes
GK: Cedric Si Mohamed
GK: Mohamed Zemmamouche
DF: Essaïd Belkalem
DF: Djamel Mesbah
DF: Rafik Halliche
DF: Aïssa Mandi
MF: Hassan Yebda
MF: Medhi Lacen
MF: Yacine Brahimi
MF: Abdelmoumene Djabou
FW: Nabil Ghilas
FW: Riyad Mahrez
The Captain: Madjid Bougherra
Bougherra does it all for the Foxes. His goal versus Burkina Faso in Blida sent the nation into a frenzy. The 31-year-old was lucky to still be playing, however, after his brutal, two-footed challenge on Charles Kabore moments before scoring.
The foul deserved a red card, but Senegalese referee Badara Diatta only gave Bougherra a yellow. Four minutes later, the captain scored the winner. This game is quite cruel sometimes.
The Star: Islam Slimani
Slimani is your typical, hulking centre-forward that can go off for three goals in any given game. His strike rate for Sporting Lisbon has been impressive since joining the club in August. He scored a late winner in Guimaraes to lift Sporting to victory in late November. Slimani and El Arbi Soudani need to find the back of the net in Brazil if Algeria have any chance of getting out of the group stage.
The Young Gun: Sofiane Feghouli
While Slimani has been impressive, Feghouli is both the star, and the young gun for Algeria. He captured two Algerian player of the year awards for his performance in 2012. The Valencia midfielder was eligible to play for France and Algeria, and indicated his desire to play for Les Bleus in several interviews. A meeting with the President of the Algerian Football Federation in May 2011 changed everything, however. In October of the same year, FIFA accepted Feghouli’s request to switch his allegiances from France to Algeria.
The Swan Song: Mehdi Mostefa
Mostefa plays his club football with Ajaccio in France, and has made 23 appearances for the national team. In many ways, he’s the perfect representative of this lunchpail-carrying team. While there are a few standout players, the Foxes rely on the collective. Their squad is a relatively young one, making the 30-year-old Mostefa one of the elder statesman on the team. You won’t hear his name often while watching the action in Brazil.
Three Questions:
- Do the Foxes have enough firepower to get the goals required for contention in Brazil?
- Will Feghouli emerge as a star on the international stage?
- Does Algeria have the depth and talent needed to make it out of the group stage for the first time in their history?
Trivial Matters
Nicknames: Fennec Foxes, The Greens, Foxes
Most caps: Lakhdar Belloumi (101)
Top scorer: Abdelhafid Tasfaout (36)
First international: January 6, 1963. Bulgaria 1-2 Algeria
World Cup appearances: 4
Best World Cup result: Round one (1982, 1986, 2010)
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