Algeria coach Vladimir Petković believes his team had a positive training camp during the last international break and is now starting on a positive note during the current one.
The coach held a press conference ahead of the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Botswana and Mozambique and here are his statements as reported by "Ennaharonline":
He spoke about the last international break camp: "After four months, we meet again, after the autumn camp, which was positive, and now we will start again from scratch, but from a positive Zero."
Petković acknowledged the difficulty of back-to-back qualifiers, saying: "We will play two difficult matches in the World Cup qualifiers."
He added: "It is a special situation for everyone, not just Algeria, with the consecutive matches."
The Bosnian Croat coach continued: "Many players have played a lot of matches so far, and this leads to injuries."
Petković also explained the situation of midfielder Ismaël Bennacer, who plays for French club Marseille.
The coach confirmed the absence of Marseille midfielder Ismaël Bennacer due to injury.
He said: "Bennacer's absence is unfortunate, as the player really wanted to be with us."
Petković added: "He had a very good start with Olympique de Marseille, and I wanted to count on him in the next two matches."
The desert foxes coach continued: "Bennacer suffered a muscle problem on the eve of their last match against Paris Saint-Germain."
Petković concluded by confirming: "The tests Bennacer underwent confirmed that his injury is not serious."
Regarding Youcef Belaïli's return to the Greens' roster, Petković said: "This is the right time to call him up."
The Greens coach added, "Belaïli's call-up is primarily due to his consistent performances this season with his club, Espérance Sportive de Tunis."
The Bosnian Croat coach also spoke about the reason for the first-time call-up of Guingamp player Sohaib Nair to participate in the March training camp.
In this regard, Petković said during his press conference: "Nair was under observation. We have observers who provide us with information, and we are the ones who manage this."
He added: "Football moves very quickly. Personally, I didn't think he would be with us at the beginning. We had four pivot players, so I will give him his chance."
He continued: "He has the qualities to help us develop our game on the field, and it is important that the team fights to achieve very high results. Nair is at Guingamp, he has a lot of responsibilities and has a very good mentality."
Vladimir Petković declared: "Any player who excels has the opportunity to join the national team. The door is still open again."
Algeria's Upcoming Fixtures
The Desert Foxes will play two games in Group G:
1- Botswana vs. Algeria
Date: Friday, March 21, 2025
Time: 13:00 GMT
2- Algeria vs. Mozambique
Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Time: 21:00 GMT
CAF 2026 World Cup Qualifiers – Group G Standings
1. Algeria – 9 points (leading on goal difference)
2. Mozambique – 9 points
3. Botswana – 6 points (leading on goal difference)
4. Guinea – 6 points (ahead on goal difference)
5. Uganda – 6 points
6. Somalia – 0 points
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