Algeria Prepared for Testing Away Clash in Lesotho
Algeria will travel to Maseru on Sunday to face Lesotho in the second round of qualifiers for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with head coach Christian Gourcuff determined to guide his side to another victory in Group J.
The Fennecs have just completed a four-day training camp in Pretoria, South Africa, aimed at acclimatising the squad to the altitude and weather conditions of southern Africa. Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, sits over 1,500 metres above sea level, and Gourcuff has made no secret of his desire to prepare thoroughly.
While Algeria are strong favourites going into the tie—having comfortably beaten the Seychelles 4-0 in their opening group match—the coaching staff are not underestimating the challenge posed by Lesotho, particularly given the match will be played on an artificial pitch.
“Even though we’ve trained on grass, we’ll have a session on Saturday in Lesotho on artificial turf to get a feel for it,” Gourcuff told Le Buteur. “You don’t adapt to this kind of surface in three or even eight sessions. I know about synthetic pitches—after all, I was the one who had it installed at Lorient. It’s true that the automatic movements aren’t the same as on natural grass, and overtraining can lead to muscle problems.”
Despite those concerns, the French coach made it clear that Algeria’s objective is victory—and nothing less.
“As usual, we’ll play to win. We have only one goal,” he said. “We’ll be facing a team that will try to beat us, especially with the support of their home crowd. But we’re staying calm. I’m not worried about overconfidence. We know the African context, and we’ve experienced our fair share of setbacks in the past.”
Gourcuff used the Pretoria camp to fine-tune his tactics and identify his starting eleven, with reports suggesting he was satisfied with the overall effort and focus shown by the squad.
Algeria currently top Group J, level on points with Ethiopia but ahead on goal difference. In the other group fixture, Ethiopia face the Seychelles.
A win in Maseru would keep Algeria firmly in control of the group and on course for qualification for the 2017 tournament in Gabon. But with altitude, artificial turf, and a determined home side to contend with, the Fennecs will need to be fully focused to avoid any surprises.
