Team Captain and Defender; Majid Bougherra holding down the fort against the Germans at the World 2014 Cup in Brazil (In photo)
FIFA Rank: 18
Coach: Christian Gourcuff
Captain: Madjid Bougherra
Nickname: The Fennec Foxes
Best AFCON finish: Winners (1990)
AFCON 2013 finish: 13th place
AFCON PEDIGREE:
Algeria had qualified just once for the Africa Cup of Nations prior to finishing runners-up in 1980 when they were beaten by Nigeria in the final. They made it to the semi-finals in the next four editions before being crowned continental champions in 1990 on home soil.
However, the Fennec Foxes have since failed to deliver on Africa's biggest stage, with their best finish coming in 2010 when they reached the semi-finals, but were hammered 4-0 by northern rivals Egypt to come in fourth.
Christian Gourcuff was appointed head coach in August 2014 ahead of the team's AFCON qualifying campaign and he went on to guide the North Africans to the finals in Equatorial Guinea as Group B winners with a 100% record in the qualifiers.
FIFA Rank: 18
Coach: Christian Gourcuff
Captain: Madjid Bougherra
Nickname: The Fennec Foxes
Best AFCON finish: Winners (1990)
AFCON 2013 finish: 13th place
AFCON PEDIGREE:
Algeria had qualified just once for the Africa Cup of Nations prior to finishing runners-up in 1980 when they were beaten by Nigeria in the final. They made it to the semi-finals in the next four editions before being crowned continental champions in 1990 on home soil.
However, the Fennec Foxes have since failed to deliver on Africa's biggest stage, with their best finish coming in 2010 when they reached the semi-finals, but were hammered 4-0 by northern rivals Egypt to come in fourth.
Christian Gourcuff was appointed head coach in August 2014 ahead of the team's AFCON qualifying campaign and he went on to guide the North Africans to the finals in Equatorial Guinea as Group B winners with a 100% record in the qualifiers.
SQUAD OVERVIEW:
The team will be led by veteran defender Madjid Bougherra, who is the current squad's most-capped player with 65. The Al-Fujairah centre-back brings a wealth of experience to Gourcuff's side, having been part of the team that reached the last four in AFCON 2010, while he featured in their 2010 and 2014 World Cup campaigns.
Gourcuff has selected mostly foreign-based players in his 23-man squad, with just goalkeepers Azzedine Doukha and Mohamed Zemmamouche plying their trade in the domectic league.
Nabil Bentaleb will get another chance to showcase his talent after playing at the 2014 World Cup where the 20-year-old helped the team reach the last 16, while also impressing for Tottenham over the past year.
The Fennec Foxes will be spearheaded by Sporting CP striker Islam Slimani and Dinamo Zagreb forward El Arbi Soudani, who between them have a respectable appearance-to-goal ratio.
There is no place in the squad for Nabil Ghilas after the FC Porto frontman was axed by the country's football federation for disciplinary reasons.
FULL SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Azzedine Doukha (MC Alger), Rais M'Bolhi (Philadelphia Union), Mohamed Zemmamouche (USM Alger)
Defenders: Essaid Belkalem (Trabzonspor), Madjid Bougherra (Al Fujairah), Faouzi Ghoulam (Napoli), Rafik Halliche (Qatar Club), Aissa Mandi (Reims), Carl Medjani (Trabzonspor), Djamel Mesbah (Parma), Mehdi Zeffane (Lyon)
Midfielders: Mehdi Abeid (Newcastle United), Nabil Bentaleb (Tottenham Hotspur), Yacine Brahimi (FC Porto), Abdelmoumene Djabou (Club Africain), Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia), Foued Kadir (Real Betis), Medhi Lacen (Getafe), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Saphir Taider (Southampton)
Forwards: Ishak Belfodil (Parma), Islam Slimani (Sporting CP), El Arbi Soudani (Dinamo Zagreb)
The team will be led by veteran defender Madjid Bougherra, who is the current squad's most-capped player with 65. The Al-Fujairah centre-back brings a wealth of experience to Gourcuff's side, having been part of the team that reached the last four in AFCON 2010, while he featured in their 2010 and 2014 World Cup campaigns.
Gourcuff has selected mostly foreign-based players in his 23-man squad, with just goalkeepers Azzedine Doukha and Mohamed Zemmamouche plying their trade in the domectic league.
Nabil Bentaleb will get another chance to showcase his talent after playing at the 2014 World Cup where the 20-year-old helped the team reach the last 16, while also impressing for Tottenham over the past year.
The Fennec Foxes will be spearheaded by Sporting CP striker Islam Slimani and Dinamo Zagreb forward El Arbi Soudani, who between them have a respectable appearance-to-goal ratio.
There is no place in the squad for Nabil Ghilas after the FC Porto frontman was axed by the country's football federation for disciplinary reasons.
FULL SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Azzedine Doukha (MC Alger), Rais M'Bolhi (Philadelphia Union), Mohamed Zemmamouche (USM Alger)
Defenders: Essaid Belkalem (Trabzonspor), Madjid Bougherra (Al Fujairah), Faouzi Ghoulam (Napoli), Rafik Halliche (Qatar Club), Aissa Mandi (Reims), Carl Medjani (Trabzonspor), Djamel Mesbah (Parma), Mehdi Zeffane (Lyon)
Midfielders: Mehdi Abeid (Newcastle United), Nabil Bentaleb (Tottenham Hotspur), Yacine Brahimi (FC Porto), Abdelmoumene Djabou (Club Africain), Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia), Foued Kadir (Real Betis), Medhi Lacen (Getafe), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Saphir Taider (Southampton)
Forwards: Ishak Belfodil (Parma), Islam Slimani (Sporting CP), El Arbi Soudani (Dinamo Zagreb)
By: Farai Diza
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