The coach of the Algerian national football team, Madjid Bougherra, affirmed that thematch against Morocco slated for tomorrow Saturday at “Al Thumama” stadium (20:00 h), as part of the quarter-finals of the FIFA Arab Cup-2021, will be “difficult”, stressing that it is a “strong and important match that the Algerian team will strive to win.”
Bougherra said in the pre-match press conference: “Tomorrow’smatch against the Moroccan national teamis a purely North African derby, and the public is eagerly awaiting it.”
I expect the match to be very exciting and we have to win it, no matter how we play,” he said, noting that the Algerian team prepared well for the match and the medical team did a great job to prepare the team’s members.
Bougherra confirmed that the team’s players regained their fitness after a 3-day break, adding that “The team must play tomorrow in order to win. The players prepared for the match perfectly, with good physical preparation and high mental focus.”
Regarding the Moroccan national team, Madjid Bougherra did not hesitate to describe it as “good, especially since it played a number of matches under the leadership of coach Hussein Ammouta and snatched the African title for locals.”
Speaking about the Algerian fans, the national coach of the locals made it clear that they always stand behind their national team in any circumstance. “We are proud to represent our country, Algeria, in this tournament in an optimal and good way. The team has a lot of experience and expertise, and its players have outstanding and strong performance, and this will be obvious in tomorrow’s match.”
In response to a question about the possibility that Baghdad Bounedjah participates in the match against Morocco after he was injured in the previous match against Egypt, the national coach said. “We will follow medical protocol in this matter.”
It should be noted that the Algeria-Morocco match will be run by a Brazilian referee team, led by the main referee, Wilton Parreira Sampaio, with the help of his fellow countrymen Danilo Simon Manes and Bruno Peras.
If qualified, the Algerian national team will face next Wednesday for the semi-finals, at “Al Thumama” stadium (20:00 h), the winner of the Qatar – United Arab Emirates match, scheduled for Friday at “Al-Bayt” stadium (20:00 h).
The second quarter-final match will oppose on Saturday, Egypt and Jordan, and will be held at Al-Janoub Stadium (16:00 h).
