**Senegal prepare for Algeria friendly with focus on growth and rivalry**
The Senegal national team is currently in Algiers ahead of their friendly against Algeria on October 13, a key fixture as both sides prepare for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
For Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly, the match holds special significance as he faces Napoli teammate Faouzi Ghoulam on the field.
“It’s a great opportunity to play against one of the best teams right now,” Koulibaly told Le Buteur. “We’ll be playing the number one team in Africa, so this duel will bring us a lot. Facing a great nation like Algeria will only be beneficial.”
While the result is secondary to the experience, Koulibaly stressed the importance of competing at a high level during this rebuilding phase. “In matches like this, results don’t matter, even if we want to win. For a team in the middle of rebuilding, the result won’t be the most important thing, but we’ll try to do well against this Algerian team full of stars.”
He added, “There’s no spirit of revenge, but we want to win. Our goal is to compete at Algeria’s level and improve our reflexes.”
The friendly promises to be a valuable test for both teams as they gear up for the challenges ahead in their World Cup campaigns.
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