Mansour Boutabout praises Algeria squad but urges caution over Mohamed Azzi

Former Algeria international Mansour Boutabout has welcomed Brahim Hemdani’s squad selection for the two Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying matches against Togo, while advising patience over new defender Mohamed Azzi.

Speaking to Maghreb-Foot, the former Algeria striker assessed the choices made for the upcoming double-header and offered a broadly positive view of the squad selected by Hemdani.

Azzi, who plays for CSKA Moscow, is a new addition to the defence. Boutabout stopped short of making a firm judgment on the player, saying it was better to remain cautious before drawing conclusions.

His comments nevertheless reflected an overall appreciation of the quality available to Algeria for the two fixtures.

The matches form part of the third and fourth rounds of the group stage in the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers. Algeria will face Togo on 14 November before meeting the same opponents again three days later, on 17 November.

Algeria currently lead Group I with four points. Togo are third on three points ahead of the two encounters.