Algeria striker Baghdad Bounedjah insists the Desert Foxes will be “much better prepared” for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations as they plot redemption following the defence of their title two years ago.
Bounedjah touched down in Algiers on Monday to report for national team duty ahead of Algeria’s upcoming training camp in Togo.
And the Al Sadd frontman, who fired Djamel Belmadi’s side to glory in Egypt in 2019, believes an extended build-up this time around will benefit Algeria’s hopes of making amends for their disastrous first-round exit from Cameroon 2021.
“I think this time the conditions are much better. We will prepare around twenty days before the start of the continental competition,” Bounedjah told local reporters.
In contrast, a Covid-hit squad back in January 2021 saw several players laid low by the virus and unable to train fully in the truncated lead-up.
But Bounedjah is confident coach Belmadi can get his full group firing again on all cylinders this time thanks to a three-week camp in Lome, where conditions mirror those expected in the Ivory Coast.
The 31-year-old added: “Now the coach will have time to work with a full group. It will also be a boon for new players who will participate for the first time to get used to and acclimatize.
“God willing, we will have a good AFCON to bring smiles back to the Algerian people.”
