Algeria will be counting on their captain, Riyad Mahrez once again to produce some magic to defend the AFCON title.
Riyad Mahrez (Man City) alongside Yassine Brahimi, the best player in the FIFA Arab cup and Rais Mbolhi, the best goalkeeper were named in the Algeria 28-man squad for Afcon 2021. The list also includes stars like Said Benrahma of West Ham United, Issa Mandy, Villarreal, and Ismail Bennacer, AC Milan.
Algeria will be making their 19th appearance in Afcon 2021. They won their first Afcon title when they hosted it in 1990 and won the second in 2019, Egypt.
Algeria will be seeking to defend their Afcon title crown when they kick off their 2021 Africa Nations cup against Sierra Leone on January 11 2022 in Group E.
Other teams in the group include Ivory Coast, and Equatorial Guinea. They are likely to face a tough test when they take on Ivory Coast in January 20 after playing Equatorial Guinea on January 16 at the Japoma Stadium, Douala.
Algeria and Ivory Coast are the favorites to qualify from this group, but again, this is football where anything is possible.
Algeria full squad for Afcon 2021
Goalkeepers: Rais Mbolhi (Al-Ettifaq, Saudi Arabia), Mustafa Zaghba (Damac, Saudi Arabia), Alexandre Oukidja (Metz, France)
Defenders: Issa Mandy (Villarreal, Spain), Abdelkader Bedrane (Esperance, Tunisia), Mehdi Tahrat (Al Gharafa, Qatar), Djamel Benlmari (Qatar, Qatar), Mohamed Amine Taugai (Esperance, Tunisia), Youcef Attal (Nice, France), Houcine Benayada (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia), Reda Halaimia (Beerschot, Belgium), Rami Bensebaini (Borussia Monchengladbach, Germany), Ilias Chetti (Esperance, Tunisia)
Midfielders: Ramiz Zerrouki (Twente Enschede, Netherlands), Haris Belkebla (Brest, France), Sofiane Bendebka (Al-Fateh, Saudi Arabia), Adem Zorgane (Royal Charleroi, Belgium), Sofiane Feghouli (Galatasaray, Turkey) Ismail Bennacer (AC Milan, Italy)
Forwards: Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City, England), Adam Ounas (Napoli, Italy), Youcef Belaili (Unattached), Said Benrahma (West Ham United, England), Farid Boulaya (Metz, France), Yacine Brahimi (Al Rayyan, Qatar), Islam Slimani (Lyon, France), Baghdad Bounedjah (Al Sadd, Qatar), Mohamed El Amine Amoura (Lugano, Switzerland)
