Algeria will make only their fourth appearance at the World Cup this summer, and will go into it with growing confidence following the positive strides made by the country since their last appearance at the tournament in 2010 when they failed to score a single goal.
The North Africans will kick off against many people’s outsiders to win the tournament, Belgium in Belo Horizonte on 17th June before also coming up against 2018 hosts Russia and 2002 co-hosts South Korea in Group H.
The man responsible for this progression is coach Vahid Halilhodzic who has been in charge since July 2011. The 61-year-old won the African Champions League with Raja Casablanca in 1997, French Ligue 1 with Lille in 2000, and the French Cup with Paris Saint-Germain in 2004. However, the Franco-Bosnian was sacked by PSG with the team in 7th place in 2005, and also by the Ivory Coast just prior to the 2010 World Cup.
Halilhodzic’s frequent touchline outbursts and occasional contempt for the media in press conferences could though help to create an ‘us against the world’ mentality in the Algerian camp that could help them to shock group favourites Belgium and Russia.
Algeria’s key player is undoubtedly Sofiane Feghouli who played twice for the French U21 side. The Valencia forward could be the Fennec Foxes’ key man in Brazil and can be relied upon to put in a real shift for his team against the technically superior Belgians and Russians. His pace either from the right or from just behind the main striker will make him a dangerous proposition for opposition defenders.
Sporting Lisbon’s Islam Slimani is a player to keep an eye on this World Cup. Slimani managed five goals in seven games during the qualifiers and bagged in eight goals for Sporting this season in the Primeira Liga. One thing for sure is that Algeria will need these attacking talents to find the net if they stand a chance of qualifying.
The failure in South Africa therefore meant that just as in their only other appearances at the World Cup in 1982 and 1986, the Algerians failed to make it past the group stages. Despite rising to 25th in the official FIFA World Rankings their chances do not look promising in Brazil either with Russia and Belgium being tipped for the top two spots. The gulf in quality between them and the previous two means that even if Algeria qualify to the Round of 16, chances of going beyond that stage is slim.
It is though very unlikely that the North Africans will qualify for the last 16 as the Belgians and Russians should be too strong for them if they play to anywhere near their potential. The Algerians should have a chance against South Korea but unless the heat plays a massive factor in proceedings, it should be between those two nations to decide who will finish bottom of Group H.
Follow George Gibson on Twitter: @George_Gibson9
