Algeria – Egypt preview: Do or Do!!

Who: pharos vs. desert foxes
What: a fierce battle called Algeria – Egypt
When: Sunday 10:30 pm CLT
Where: Stade Mustafa Tchaker, Blida, Algeria
Why: for a crucial 3 points, pride and many other things

The stadium is packed with more than 50 thousand enthusiastic, fully charged Algerian fans after more than 3 months of media build up against the opponent using fake interviews, news and misleading facts (anything to create a hype) our boys enter the field for warm up, huge jeers and boos echo around the whole of Blida with loads of insults breaking the ears, the Algerian team enters, things become a little chaotic. The national anthems are played, once beladi, beladi starts it’s boos and jeers again and maybe some thrown stones and other things.

Welcome to an Egypt– Algeria derby in Algeria

I hope what I mentioned above won’t happen and that the flowers’ reception would continue till the game ends but……I doubt!!

Instead our 1600 traveling will make sure that our players will feel like at home.

This isn’t a do or die situation, this is a do or do the first do is for the crucial 3 points we desperately need and the 3 points our main opponent I the group will lose, the second do is for our pride our reputation and our prestige in the continent.

I am not exaggerating, in fact Egypt and Algeria derbies have always been about pride and history is witness on this.

In 1984, after Algeria with all its great stars lost in Cairo 1-0 in the Olympic games qualifier the payers went mad in the field and started hitting whatever is in their way because the loss was too much for them and in CAN 2004, the Algerians celebrated their victory against us in the group stage more than qualifying for the quarter final.

But now, the game took other dimensions; the results of their first match, made the match a decisive one because whoever win will largely eliminate his opponent from the race; especially Egypt since it will have the advantage of the return game played at home.

So carrying the dreams of millions of Egyptian of qualifying for the world cup after a very long absence our players are going to enter the field to face a very ambitious Algerian side and most importantly very fanatical fans who can do anything to ensure their team wins or at least don’t lose.

Ask Rabeh Saadane, their coach, who broke into tears during a press conference out of fear on his family’s safety after receiving threats that they would be hurt if he loses the match!!

Things on the field won’t be less intense

Algeria

Saadane chose a mainly foreign based side for the game and took them to France for a quiet and long preparation camp away from the fans.

Goalkeepers: Mohamed Ousserir (Chebab Belouizdad), Mohamed Benhamou (Mouloudia d’Alger), Lounes Gaouaoui (Union d’Annaba), Fouzi Chouchi.

Defenders: Slimane Raho (ES Setif), Antar Yahia (Bochum), Madjid Bougherra (Glasgow Rangers), Rafik Halliche (Nacional), Samir Zaoui (Olympique de Chlef), Mohamed Meftah (JS Kabylie), Reda Babouche (Mouloudia d’ Alger).

Midfielders: Karim Ziani (Marseille), Yazid Mansouri (Lorient), Cherif Abdelslam (JS Kabylie), Yacine Bezzaz (Strasbourg), Nadir Belhadj (Portsmouth), Khaled Lemmouchia (ES Setif), Hussein Achiou (JS Kabyile).

Forwards: Kamel Ghilas (Celta Vigo), Rafik Saifi (Lorient), Karim Matmour (Borussia Monchengladbach), Abdelkader Ghazzal (Siena), Rafik Djebbour (AEK Athens), Hameur Bouazza (Birmingham City), Lazhar Hadj Aissa (ES Setfi)

Looking at the names, I think that Ziani, Belhaj, Ghazzal and BoUgherra are the names to watch out from as they are stars in their teams and get to play regularly, other than that don’t make the names of their clubs fright you, they are regular bench warmers.

As a team, the Algerian team is an inconsistent one; they play a heroic match against Argentina and score 3 goals and then lose to guinea 3-0 the next match and their results in the past CAN and world cup qualifiers prove it.

Another problem they have is the lack of chemistry because they come from different leagues and take part in a 2 or 3 days camp so they don’t know each other well, I guess this is why they held a long camp this time.

Here is the highlights form their game against Rwanda

(Sorry for the song, couldn’t find a better video)

However, the Algerian team rarely loses at home taking the advantage of his fans.

They play short passes, have some goo skills and are dangerous from the sides; especially Belhaj so we have to be careful.

Egypt

Things didn’t go as planned for Shehata ; many players are out of form, others aren’t playing with their teams, the season ended late and he didn’t have much time to prepare.

As last seen, the team left the fans worrying as the performance wasn’t that good to comfort us and the players seemed to lack tactical discipline and organization in the field; even more, they all seemed nervous for the slightest reason which is intolerable in this game.

After the team returned from Oman, the stayed in a closed camp in Cairo and press reports say that many players have resorted their from and things are looking better now, hope this is true.

Shehata dropped Hazem Emam, Sherif Abdel Fadil and Abu Greisha from the final roster that flied to Algeria; injuries are nonexistent as Zaki, Abu Treika and Zidan recovered from slight injuries and will be participating (pheww, we can’t lose them!!!)

We need to concentrate on midfield because once we control it, we control the whole game and the more we possess the ball, the more frustrated is the Algerian team and the less enthusiastic the fans will be in the stands and we can play our game then.

For this, only two players will be fielded in attack while Hosni, Ahmed Hassan and Shawky are likely to be fielded in the center with more defensive shores for two of them unless something happens during the game.

Defense will have to be tighter than we saw last match because the Algerian team can move the ball fast from defense to attach and have the sufficient skills to dribble successfully in one – on – one situation, strict man marking should be forced on Algerian strikers.

Attacks have to be fast and concentrated and long balls aren’t accepted, Zidan needs to use his skills, Zaki needs to use his power because this the time we really need both.

Probable formation:

……………………………el hadary………………………..
Ahmed fathi…..fathallah…..hani said…..wael gomaa…….sayed mowad
………….ahmed Hassan………hosni abd Raboh……..shawky
………………………………zidan…………….
……………………………….zaki…………………………………

The match

It’s going to be vocal, physical and intense; this is the time when experience proves its worth, there will be no place for a shaking knee or a hesitant pass, everyone should know what he is doing.

If we scored early, we will control, the same goes if they score early; however, we must be careful of their time wasting tactics.

Football quality isn’t guaranteed but excitement and suspense are surely going to be there.

Prediction: 1-1 zaki, ghazal

Stream: any help?

Instead of the usual hellmakers video, I decided to post this (I know some would criticize it for being out of context, but I felt like posting it especially that it is sung by an Algerian singer for Egypt)

TA3EESHY YA MASR….. TA3EESHY

WIN FOR US