Algeria decide against replacing injured Bachir Belloumi

Brahim Hemdani has chosen not to call up a replacement for Bachir Belloumi after the Hull City winger was ruled out of Algeria’s next two Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches.

Belloumi sustained a hamstring injury and will miss Algeria’s double-header against Togo. The first match is scheduled for 14 November in Tizi-Ouzou, with the return fixture taking place in Lome on 17 November. The games are the third and fourth rounds of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

According to journalist Samir Kaabouche, Hemdani has decided to continue with his current squad rather than bring in another player to cover Belloumi’s absence. The decision would indicate that the Algeria manager believes he already has sufficient options available.

Hemdani has already added Rayane Yesli and Fahem Benaissa-Yahia to the squad. The two players were called up after Abdelatif Ramdane withdrew following the death of his father, while Jaouen Hadjam was ruled out after suffering an injury with Brighton.

Hadj Moussa given another opportunity

Anis Hadj Moussa appears to be the most obvious candidate to take Belloumi’s place on the right wing. The position became available following Riyad Mahrez’s retirement from international football, and Hadj Moussa had initially been regarded as the leading contender to establish himself there.

However, despite producing strong performances for Feyenoord, the former Lens player was overlooked in favour of Belloumi during the previous international camp. Belloumi was enjoying an excellent run of form with Hull City at the time and made an immediate impact, scoring twice in his first three Algeria appearances.

Belloumi’s absence now gives Hadj Moussa the chance to demonstrate his value and challenge for a more prominent role. But the opportunity also carries pressure, with a poor performance potentially reinforcing his status as a reserve option.

The Paris-region native has regularly faced criticism over his output for the national team. He was selected as the first-choice option at the World Cup last summer ahead of Mahrez, but failed to make the expected impact.

Hadj Moussa did not score in the opening match against Argentina. He then made subdued substitute appearances against Jordan in Algeria’s second group game and against Switzerland in the round of 16.