Any discount for Algeria in the qualifiers?

Unsurprisingly, Algeria is one of the ten countries that will compete for the five African qualifying spots for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Perhaps the only unexpected element was the difficulty with which the national team qualified for the play-off matches. Tuesday, November 16th, supporters of coach Djamel Belmadi sweated keep the lottery (2-2) against Burkina Faso, who caused them the same concerns in the first leg last September in Marrakesh (1-1).

At the final whistle, 14,000 spectators were present at the Mustapha Tchaker Stadium in Blida and the millions of fans watching TV released their joy, even though the team only made its way to Qatar.

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The most difficult stage remains to be taken with this stage of the dams scheduled for next March. The Greens have yet to win despite an impressive 33 unbeaten streak that began in October 2018 and is still going on.

Also, despite the quality of the players who make up the team and the skill of the coach. The double standoff against Burkina Faso stallions has raised some doubts, reinforced by the prospect of facing a major African exodus next March.

However, the national team’s status is not of much concern because its position in the FIFA rankings already ensures that the best-ranked selections on the continent, that is, the most in shape of the moment, are faced.

The procedure for the draw for the five qualifiers, which will take place in December, is already simple: it is unlikely that it will face the top five in the FIFA rankings for the month of November, which will be revealed in a few days. each other because they would appear in the same hat.

Algeria is currently the fourth African country and the 30th in the world. With their recent home draw, Algeria cannot hope for the best.

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It could even drop some places, but whatever happens it will always be in the top five in Africa, sixth currently, while Egypt is only 44th in the world rankings.

So the Greens are assured of avoiding the formidable Senegal (Continent 1), not playing a Maghreb derby against Tunisia (2) or Morocco (3) and not inheriting from Nigeria (5). Avoiding such shocks is indeed a minor advantage, even if there is a quality in the other hat.

Belmadi has no advantage

If we exclude the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to a lesser extent Mali, the other three applicants are formidable: Cameroon, Ghana and Egypt.

And in the case of a double confrontation back and forth, anything is possible. It’s hard to get an advantage. At this level of competition, all potential opponents are equal and none of them owes their qualifications or their position in the ranking at random.

When asked about his preference during his pre-match press conference against Burkina Faso, Jamal Belmadi He replied that he had no goal, only stating that his goal was still eligible and that he would properly prepare the double-face to pass. He said sarcastically: “The presence of preference does not affect the lottery.”

Even if it is in the seed pot, the national team could face some very difficult shocks. Facing Egypt and its master of play Mohamed Salah, one of the best players in the world at the moment, will be the rematch of the unforgettable battle of Omdurman, in 2009, which saw the greens of Rab Saadane cut the road from South Africa to South Africa. Pharaohs Hassan Shehata.

It will be even more difficult for Cameroon again, since the national team could not tame the lions in the official competition, even at the height of the eighties.

The Ghanaians, who are very technical, could pose huge problems to the Algerian defense, which is not reassuring for some time. Mali is in good shape as evidenced by its journey in the group stage with 5 wins and a draw, certainly in a group that is not too difficult.

Only the DRC team does not appear in the Continent’s slots and could even make way for Benin if the latter’s appeal is successful.

And even against an opponent of this caliber, a playoff is an unpredictable little final. The Greens and their coach have made it happen against Burkina Faso and they know what they have left to do: start preparing now for the next Africa Cup of Nations starting in January and these famous dams in March, focusing on the gaps represented by the double confrontation against the stallions. allowed to detect.