Photo Courtesy FUFA Media.
Algeria head coach Vladimir Petkovic has rallied his troops to claim the favourite tag ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Morocco.
During the draw held in Rabat, Morocco on Monday, the Desert Foxes were drawn in Group E and will face Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, and Sudan.
According to the Bosnian trainer, the draw pitted Algeria against tough teams but being the favourites, they must take advantage of the tag to qualify from the group.
“The draw placed us in a group that is not easy at all,” Petkovic said as quoted by CAFOnline.com. “There are no small teams at AFCON anymore. Every side that qualified deserves to be here.”
He added: “It is clear that we are the favourites in the group, and we must bear this responsibility. Our first goal will be to qualify for the second round, and then we will see.”
On coming up against familiar foes Equatorial Guinea, the coach said: “We have an idea about our competitors, especially Equatorial Guinea, but we must focus on ourselves instead of overanalyzing the other teams.”
He concluded: “Right now, the most important thing for us is not the Africa Cup of Nations, but qualifying for the World Cup. If we achieve that, then playing at AFCON will be much easier.”
Algeria will play AFCON 2025 campaign against Sudan, a team that surprised many by qualifying.
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