Press reports indicate that the Algerian national team will enter their quarter-final match against Nigeria in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations missing two key players who were injured during the tournament.
Coach Vladimir Petkovic will be unable to count on Ismaël Bennacer, who left the Round of 16 match against DR Congo in the 49th minute due to a muscle injury from which he has not yet fully recovered.
Meanwhile, there are serious doubts surrounding Samir Cherki’s participation in the match scheduled to be held in Tangier. He, too, has not fully recovered from the injury he sustained in the group stage match against Burkina Faso.
There is a glimmer of hope that Cherki might be available for the Nigeria match, and his participation will be definitively determined based on his performance in the final training session on Friday evening. However, it seems likely that Petkovic will not risk playing him to avoid aggravating the injury.
The good news for Algeria comes from Mohamed Amine Tougai, who is now fit and available for the upcoming match against Nigeria. He recently participated fully in training sessions without any reported pain.
Although Petkovic was evasive about Tougai’s availability in the pre-match press conference, Algerian media outlets suggest he will start on the bench against the Super Eagles and could be called upon in the second half if needed.
