Algeria’s national football team coach, Djamel Belmadi, affirms the readiness of his players as they prepare to embark on the Africa Cup of Nations, commencing next Saturday in Ivory Coast.
He anticipates a high level of competition and strong performances.
Concluding their preparatory camp in Togo with a friendly match against Burundi on Tuesday, the Algerian team is set to depart on Wednesday for Bouaké, Ivory Coast, where the Group D matches will unfold.
In statements to Algerian state television, Belmadi emphasized, “The atmosphere within the team is positive, and the players are focused on the work we’ve done in the Togo camp, preparing for the upcoming tough competition.
I can confidently say that we are ready.”
He added, “Our stay in Togo provided us with the conditions we sought, such as acclimatizing to the weather, which is an essential factor.
Ninety percent of our players are coming from Europe, where the current temperature ranges from 0 to 5 degrees Celsius.
This implies we will face a temperature difference of up to 25 degrees.”
Belmadi continued, “We understand that the level of the tournament in Ivory Coast will be high, but we also have our ambitions.
The players want to achieve something significant to bring joy to the Algerian people, and that is our mission.
We will do everything in our power to achieve this goal.”
The Algerian national team seeks to overcome the disappointment of the previous tournament held in Cameroon, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
In contrast, they clinched the title in the 2019 edition hosted by Egypt.
The “Desert Warriors” will commence their journey with a match against Angola next Monday, marking the opening game of Group D.
Subsequent encounters against Burkina Faso and Mauritania are scheduled for January 20 and 23, respectively, in the second and third rounds of the group stage.
