Africa Cup of Nations 2015: Ghana vs Algeria preview

January 22, 2015
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Ghana vs AlgeriaFollowing the last-gasp defeat to Senegal in their opening match, Ghana face a must-win game against Algeria and no doubt the pressure will be on the Black Stars.

Les Fennecs, on the other hand, escaped punishment for a very poor showing against South Africa, although they did well to come from behind and record a 3-1 triumph.

Given the quality of players at their disposal, the national team haven’t exactly played to their potential over the last couple of years.

The Black Stars did produce several very good performances at the 2014 World Cup, famously holding Germany to a 2-2 draw, but they eventually failed to progress from the group stage.

The national team took a bold decision to appoint former Chelsea manager Avram Grant just over a month before AFCON 2015 was due to start, and that does not appear to have been a good piece of business.

Grant surprisingly switched to 3-5-2 formation that always takes some time getting used to, and while his side took the lead in the opening game against Senegal, things soon started taking a turn for the worse.

The Black Stars eventually suffered a difficult defeat having been completely outclassed in the second period, meaning they will be out of the tournament if they lose to Algeria as well.

But, with star player Asamoah Gyan resuming training with the team, Ghana can be backed at 3.60 (13/5) to win their second group fixture.

Probable starting line-up (3-4-2-1): Brimah – Amartey, Mensah, Awal – Afful, Rabiu, Badu, Baba – A. Ayew, J. Ayew – Gyan.

Having largely impressed at the 2014 World Cup, Algeria arrived at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations as one of the favourites for the title, but they did not exactly enjoy a convincing start.

After producing some excellent displays in Brazil and in the AFCON qualifiers, Les Fennecs were expected to see off rejuvenated South Africa side without too many problems.

However, while Algeria eventually enjoyed a 3-1 triumph, they were extremely fortunate to avoid defeat, with their opponents missing a penalty when they were already a goal up.

The good result from the first match puts Les Fennecs in the driving seat ahead of the Ghana game, with Christian Gourcuff’s charges now 2.30 (13/10) to extend the winning run.

The boss is sweating over the fitness of important defender Rafik Halliche, who is struggling with a calf problem, with Madjid Bougherra ready to deputize if needed.

In spite of the under-par performance against South Africa, Christian Gourcuff is unlikely to make major changes to his starting line-up.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): M’Bolhi – Mandi, Halliche, Medjani, Ghoulam – Bentaleb, Lacen – Feghouli, Brahimi, Mahrez – Slimani.

We Highly Recommend These Places
Share your Opinion!