Petkovic: It is very difficult to promise the Algerian people – the new Algeria

Vladimir Petkovic, coach of the “Greens” team, confirmed that he does not promise the Algerian people anything regarding their participation in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals, but that he will strive to make these people proud of their country’s national team.

Petkovic said, during Press conference Which he held yesterday, Saturday: “It is very difficult to promise the Algerian people something, but what is certain is that we will do our best to make everyone proud of this team.”

These words came from Petkovic, in the context of his talk about his specific goal with the national team in the “Cannes 2025” finals, scheduled in Morocco from December 21 to next January 18.

He explained The national voterDuring the press conference held by Mohamed Salah in the conference hall at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Baraki (Algiers), he said: “I am looking for victory face to face and improving gradually. The first goal is to pass the first round, but I aspire to go as far as possible in the tournament. Our team is among the candidates in the tournament and we will prove that on the field, because we want to stay there until the end of the competition.”

Regarding the Algerian national team’s first match in the continental championship, against its Sudanese counterpart, Petkovic said: “We will focus on the first match against Sudan, which plays as a single bloc and focuses on speed in counterattacks.”

During the first round, the Algerian national team will compete in the fifth group, along with the national teams of Equatorial Guinea, Burkina Faso and Sudan.

Issa Mandi and his teammates are expected to arrive tomorrow, Monday, at the National Technical Center in Sidi Moussa to start the camp, before traveling to the tournament’s host country next Friday on a special flight.

The “Greens” will begin their campaign on Wednesday, December 24, by facing Sudan (16:00), then they will face Burkina Faso on Sunday, December 28 (18:30), and Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday, December 31 (17:00).

The first and second placed teams from each group, in addition to the four best third-placed teams, qualify for the quarter-finals.

It is worth noting that the Algerian national team, after winning the 2019 tournament title in Egypt, was eliminated in the first round of the 2021 tournament finals in Cameroon and 2023 tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.