{"id":794380,"date":"2024-05-18T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/?p=794380"},"modified":"2024-05-17T22:52:55","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T22:52:55","slug":"algeria-belmadi-does-petkovic-a-huge-favour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/algeria\/algeria-belmadi-does-petkovic-a-huge-favour","title":{"rendered":"Algeria: Belmadi does Petkovic a huge favour"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Even in his absence, former Algeria national team coach Djamel Belmadi continues to assist current coach Vladimir Petkovic.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Algerian national football team is gearing up for a crucial moment in their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign. Two important matches against Guinea and Uganda await the Fennecs in early June, during the third and fourth phases of the qualifiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This gathering will be the second under the leadership of coach Vladimir Petkovic. After promising beginnings in a friendly tournament in March (a win against Bolivia, a draw against South Africa), the Swiss technician will face his first official challenge against formidable opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The encounters against Guinea and Uganda will be considered key steps for World Cup qualification. Guinea, in particular, is a direct competitor for the Fennecs in the race for the World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Petkovic has analyzed the previous friendly tournament and drawn lessons from it. Experimentation with new players yielded positive results in some positions, notably in attack. However, defensive concerns were noted, which could lead to a return to the original lineup under Djamel Belmadi, which is more experienced and familiar with the playing system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Local media report the likely presence of key players like Youcef Belaili and Riyad Mahrez in the extended list of called-up players. Their inclusion in the starting eleven for both matches is highly probable. This return to experienced players seems to be the most feasible solution for Petkovic, given the limited time available and the significant stakes of these matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to circulating information, the coaching staff is expected to rely on the majority of players who participated in the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. Some absences are noted, such as the injured Benlamri and Islam Slimani, who performed less impressively in the last gathering compared to Benzia and Bakir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the goalkeeper position, Petkovic is likely to stick with the trio of Mandrea and Zeghba. Defense remains the primary concern for the coach, who is seeking solutions to address observed weaknesses. The return of Reda Halaimia on the right flank is anticipated, alongside Youcef Atal. The duo of Jaouen Hadjam and Yanis Ait Nouri is expected to remain unchallenged on the left, while the central axis could feature Aissa Mandi, Madani (Chabab Constantine), and Belaid (USMA) as contenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In midfield, there are numerous options. The return of AC Milan’s maestro Ismael Bennacer is confirmed. He is expected to reclaim his place alongside Nabil Bentaleb and Ramiz Zerrouki. The return of Himad Abdelli (Angers) is also possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In attack, Petkovic has a quality offensive panel. Said Benrahma (Olympique Lyonnais) will be present. The return of Youcef Belaili to his best form is also anticipated. The Benzia-Bakir duo, who gained the trust of the coaching staff in the last gathering, should also be retained. Captain Riyad Mahrez and Yacine Brahimi are expected to lead the attack alongside Baghdad Bounedjah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The presence of these experienced players should alleviate pressure on Petkovic. Their experience and knowledge of African challenges will be valuable assets in guiding the Fennecs towards a crucial victory in this race for the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even in his absence, former Algeria national team coach Djamel Belmadi continues to assist current coach Vladimir Petkovic. The Algerian national football team is gearing up for a crucial moment in their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign. Two important matches against Guinea and Uganda await the Fennecs in early June, during the third and fourth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":794384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[471],"tags":[345,983],"class_list":["post-794380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-algeria","tag-belmadi","tag-petkovic"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/nouveau-format-pour-site-bi-2024-05-17T225228.531.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfmZoa-3kEA","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=794380"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":794385,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794380\/revisions\/794385"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/794384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=794380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=794380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=794380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}