Jamal Belmadi, the coach of the Algerian national team, is considering making changes to the Desert Warriors’ lineup against Burkina Faso in the upcoming match on Saturday.
This encounter is part of the second round of Group Four in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations 2023, hosted in Ivory Coast.
Algeria faced an unexpected setback at the start of their Africa Cup of Nations journey, securing only a draw against Angola (1-1) on Monday.
The match witnessed two contrasting performances from “Les Verts” between the first and second halves.
The Algerian national team will approach the Burkina Faso match under pressure, compelled to secure a victory to revive their chances of advancing to the Round of 16 in the continental competition.
This is to avoid a repeat of the nightmare scenario from the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon.
Burkina Faso, having clinched a valuable 1-0 victory against Mauritania in their opening match, currently tops the group with 3 points.
According to Algerian media reports, the anticipated changes in Algeria’s lineup against Burkina Faso are likely to focus on the midfield, which did not perform as expected and lacked balance in the first match.
Nabil Bentaleb, the star of the French club Lille, is among the prominent candidates to be omitted from the starting lineup.
He appeared somewhat below his usual standard against Angola and was involved in the penalty incident that led to the opposing team’s equalizing goal.
Algeria faces the Burkina Faso challenge with the goal of securing a vital victory, addressing the shortcomings observed in their opening match, and positioning themselves favorably in the quest for AFCON glory.
The encounter is crucial for Algeria’s aspirations, and any adjustments made by Belmadi aim to reinforce the team’s effectiveness and pursuit of success in the tournament.
