Petkovic is studying his tactical options to confront the Democratic Republic of Congo – New Algeria

The coach of the Algerian national football team, Vladimir Petkovic, is studying his tactical options, before facing the Democratic Republic of Congo, tomorrow evening, Tuesday, in Rabat, for the round of 16 of the African Cup of Nations “CAN 2025”.

Despite the absence of defense duo Samir Chergui and Joan Hajam, and the non-confirmation of the participation of left back Rayan Ait Nouri, who suffers from a severe cold, the Algerian national team’s technical staff still has great solutions.

Coach Petkovic does not rule out making a tactical adjustment against the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the possibility of relying on a defense with three elements in its midfield, which may include the trio of Ramy Bensebaini, Issa Mandi and Zinedine Belaid, the latter of whom shone remarkably in the last match of the group stage against Equatorial Guinea (3-1) by scoring a goal and confirming his ability to attend important dates.

Ben Sabaini, a multi-position player, can switch to the left flank when circumstances require, while Mehdi Dorval can be called upon to replace Ait Nouri when necessary.

The other hypothesis available to Petkovic is to rely on two players in the middle of the defense (Ben Sabaini-Mandy) and two real full-backs to support this line (Belghali-Dorval).

All of these options give voter Petkovic the possibility of adapting his plan without affecting… Group balanceTaking into account the competitor’s strengths.

By rotating the census in front of Equatorial Guinea, it is Swiss coach He has rested some of the team’s cadres, such as captain Riyad Mahrez and midfielders Ismail Bennacer and Hicham Boudaoui, in anticipation of the 16-final match, which is expected to be very competitive.

In front of a Congolese squad that had a convincing campaign during the group stage, especially the draw against Senegal (1-1), the “Greens” are well aware that solid defense and good physical fitness will be among the basic solutions to continue the adventure in the 35th edition of the competition.