Algeria name Mahrez, Brahimi, 21 others against Nigeria

Riyad MAHREZ (right) with Nigeria Moses Simon

ALGERIA coach, Rabah Madjer has invited 23 players to camp ahead of the dead rubber 2018 World Cup qualifier against Nigeria on November 10.

The Algeria-Nigeria fixture, more of a formality match, will be played at the Mohamed-Hamlaoui Stadium, Constantine, Algeria, to round off qualifiers in the African Group B already won by Nigeria. The group’s other last round of match will see Zambia host Cameroon in another formality match.

The Algeria list is made up of three goalkeepers, nine defenders, five midfielders and six attackers. Out of the total number, eight of the players are home-based, as opposed to the one local player in the list of 23 players released by Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr, on Monday for the match.

Prominent among the invited palyers are the current African Footballer of the Year, Riyad Mahrez, Nabil Bentaleb, Yacine Brahimi and Carl Medjani. The 23 players are expected to report at Sidi Moussa National Technical Center on Monday, November 6.

The Algeria-Nigeria match will be Madjer’s first match in charge of the Desert Foxes since his return, for the fourth time, to the helm on October 18. Four days after the Nigeria match in Constantine, Madjer will lead his squad out against the Central African Republic in a friendly match at the July 5 Stadium in Algiers.

THE FULL LIST

Goalkeepers: Faouzi CHAOUCHI (MC Algiers, Algeria), Chamseddine RAHMANI (CS Constantine, Algeria), Abdelkadir SALHI (CR Belouizdad, Algeria).

Defenders: Mohamed Khouthir ZITI (ES Setif, Algeria), Youcef ATTAL (KV Kortrijk, Belgium), Faouzi GHOULAM (SSC Napoli, Italy), Houari FERHANI (JS Kabylie, Algeria), Aissa MANDI (Betis Sevilla, Spain), Liassine CADAMURO -BENTAÏBA (Nîmes Olympique, France), Rami BENSEBAÏNI (Stade Rennais, France), Ayoub ABDELLAOUI (USM Alger, Algeria), Carl MEDJANI (Sivasspor, Turkey).

Midfielders: Abderraouf BENGUIT (USM Alger, Algeria), Nabil BENTALEB (FC Schalke 04, Germany), Ismael BENNACER (Empoli FC, Italy), Yacine BRAHIMI (Porto FC, Portugal), Abdelmoumen DJABOU (ES Setif, Algeria).

Attackers: Riyad MAHREZ (Leicester City FC, England), Zinedine FERHAT (Le Havre AC, France), Islam SLIMANI (Leicester City FC, England), Baghdad BOUNEDJAH (Al Sadd Sport, Qatar), Hilal El Arabi SOUDANI (GNK Dinamo Zagreb, Croatia), Sofiane HANNI (RSC Anderlecht, Belgium).