Algeria star Riyad Mahrez (left) attacks in 2022 World Cup playoffs cameroon Brida (-)
Former Algerian national team captain city of manchester Star player Riyad Mahrez believes he knows the secret to winning the African Cup of Nations: thorough preparation, luck and experience.
The 32-year-old winger told reporters: “The country that is best prepared and has a little bit of luck will go all the way to the end.”
“Experience is also an important factor. Me and many of my teammates on the Algeria national team know a lot about the Nations Cup.
“It’s often important to get off to a good start. We beat Kenya in the opening game in 2019 and won the tournament. Three years later we drew with Sierra Leone and failed.”
French-born Mahrez left the Premier League this year for the lucrative Saudi Professional League, but was a key figure in Algeria’s victory at the 2019 Nations Cup in Egypt.
He was also part of a team that had a dismal performance in their title defense in Cameroon two years ago, losing in the first round to Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast.
Algeria, a mix of 2019 survivors and newcomers, are favorites to win Group D in the 2024 final, which begins on Saturday in Ivory Coast’s commercial capital Abidjan.
They are the top seed in a section that includes Burkina Faso, which has finished second, third and fourth in the past four appearances, as well as outsiders Angola and Mauritania.
The top two finishers in the final standings automatically advance to the round of 16, and it would be a shock if Algeria and Burkina Faso didn’t fill that spot.
– “A deep sense of belonging” –
With this, Angola and Mauritania, who have reached the quarter-finals twice, will aim for their first victory in this tournament and will fight for one of the top four spots in the top three, as well as a spot in the tournament.
Born in the northern suburbs of Paris, Mahrez is eligible to represent Algeria because his late father was born in the oil-rich North African country.
“I visited the village where my father was born every year and felt a deep sense of belonging. I felt really close to the people and to my second homeland.”
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Mahrez recalls with visible joy the reception the desert foxes received when they conquered Africa five years ago. senegal In the final, they won 1-0 with a goal from Baghdad Bouneja.
“The bus parade was scheduled for 30 minutes, but it actually lasted seven hours. The enthusiasm of the people was amazing. I’ve never seen it in other countries.”
Goalkeeper Rais Mboli, defender Ramy Bensebaini The 2019 winners also call up Aissa Mandi, midfielders Ismael Bennacer and Sofian Fehouri, and forwards Youssef Belairi and Bounedja.
Also singled out was Nice defender Youssef Attal, who was given an eight-month suspended sentence by a French court last week for inciting religious hatred over social media posts about Gaza.
Burkina Faso have consistently punched above their weight in the recent Nations Cup and boast star defenders. edmont tapsova From Bundesliga leaders bayer leverkusen .
However, the stumbling block for the Stallions is the lack of game time for their most famous forward, Bertrand Traore. Aston Villa This season.
After a shock qualification to the 2006 World Cup and two appearances in the Nations Cup last eight shortly after, Angola regressed, missing three of Africa’s last four tournaments.
Mauritania had the worst performance of all 24 teams in the last tournament, losing all three group games and not scoring a goal.
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