Holder of the title, Algeria is the favorite of the African Cup of Nations which will start this Sunday, January 09, 2022. All the more so as the Greens, their sources of motivation are an additional element with a world record to beat.
4 days before the start of the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon, specialists are almost unanimous on the identity of the favorite. Algeria seems to be the best placed selection among all the other nations. Not to mention his collective strength and the individualities that make up his group, the defending champion can count on the confidence offered by his good results. And it’s not just the most recent matches, like this friendly Wednesday against Ghana (3-0).
Italy in Algeria’s sights
All competitions combined, Algeria remains on an impressive total of 34 games without defeat! Unheard of for an African selection. At this rate, Djamel Belmadi’s men could even afford the historic world record! The best student in this field remains for the moment Italy which, after its defeat in the semifinals of the League of Nations against Spain (2-1) on October 6, had stopped at 37 games without knowing the taste of the opposite. Suffice to say that the Fennecs are not very far from the longest invincibility in history for a national team.
Additional motivation in Cameroon
The results will go through good performances in the African Cup of Nations, starting with the group stage during which Algeria will face Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire. Three meetings that could allow Riyad Mahrez’s teammates to match the performance of the Italians, before a possible round of 16 which would become the decisive meeting. But we imagine that this goal, an additional source of motivation, is not the priority of coach Djamel Belmadi, especially determined to win a second consecutive coronation.
