DOUALA (Reuters) – Algeria begin the defence of their African Cup of Nations title on Tuesday as they chase down the record for the longest unbeaten run by a nationwide group.
Algeria go into their Group E conflict towards Sierra Leone in Douala undefeated in their final 34 internationals and threatening the mark that Italy set final yr (37 video games).
They haven’t misplaced since Benin beat them in a Cup of Nations qualifier earlier than the 2019 finals, which Algeria went on to win.
The run doesn’t embrace participation in the African Nations Championship, which is the competitors for nationwide groups made up solely of home-based gamers and the place Algeria enters with a B group, as they did in profitable final month’s Arab Cup in Qatar.
The full nationwide facet underneath coach Djamel Belmadi have 26 victories and eight attracts since their final loss in October 2018 and compete at this month’s Cup of Nations as one of the heavily-fancied groups.
“We are the title holders and we’re approaching the competitors with ambition, as a result of we wish to make our individuals glad,” stated Belmadi on the eve of the kick off of the match in Cameroon.
But he conceded that Algeria, who even have Equatorial Guinea and the Ivory Coast in their group, can be targets for different groups.
“The stress on the title holders can solely be a optimistic. When we went to the final Cup of Nations finals in Egypt, we have been thought-about a group with out a lot likelihood. But we gained the trophy and every thing was completely different, the respect was palpable,” Belmadi added.
“We are conscious of this, and we wish to keep up excessive, we wish to be the perfect.
“There is not any straightforward path in the Cup of Nations. There is an opportunity you get to the quarter-finals and you’re up towards one of Mali, Nigeria, Tunisia or Egypt, which might be like an African cup remaining!
“Egypt, for instance, has a world-class Mohamed Salah, even when he has not had the identical kind for his nation (as he has with his membership Liverpool). Such a participant can change the face of a group on his personal.”
Italy went 37 video games with out defeat from October 2018 to October final yr after they misplaced 2-1 to Spain in the Nations League semi-finals in Milan.
Their unbeaten streak included success in final yr’s European Championship.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
