2010 World Cup : Algeria, Egypt face off in a classic North African derby

Football fans in Egypt and Algeria won’t be talking about anything except this Sunday’s much-awaited clash between the two national teams at the Mustapha Tchaker stadium of Blida in their World Cup 2010 qualification campaign.      

• Since the draw was announced in October, anticipation has been building up for the game.  The pressure on the players and coaches on both sides has been intensifying as we approach zero hour.
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• Algeria’s coach Rabah Saadane broke into tears during a press conference in fear of his safety and his family’s if he lost the Blida match.
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• Tension, on and off the pitch is regular in Egypt-Algeria matches with brawls between players, and sometimes spectators, a regular occurrence.  This tension is expected to reach new highs following both teams’ results in the first round of the final group stage, which made this match’s results critical for each team’s World Cup aspirations.
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• Group favorites, Egypt surprisingly drew home with Zambia while Algeria snatched a goalless away draw with Rwanda. Both have to win this match to maintain their chances of reaching the World Cup in this unpredictable group.
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• Egypt held a preparation camp in Oman for five days and concluded it with a friendly with its national team which Egypt won 1-0. Star playmaker Mohamed Abou-Trika scored the winner.
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• National team manager Hassan Shehata left behind Wigan striker Ahmed “Mido” Hossam and Ahly’s midfielder Mohamed Barakat; at the same time he called back left wing Sayed Moawad and Ismaili Midielder Mohamed Homos, sparking controversy about his choices.
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• While some refer Mido’s exclusion to his problem’s with his Egypt and Wigan teammate Amr Zaki, Shehata said that it was for “technical reasons” and that Mido maybe chosen for the Confederations Cup later in June.
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• “The fans aren’t going to forgive us if we failed to qualify. And I have full confidence in my players … they realize the responsibility they have on their shoulders to make their fans happy,” Shehata said before flying to Algeria.
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• Away from the players’ selection, the Egyptian team has been suffering from drop in form of its key players including Abou-Trika and Hosni Abd Raboh and others who don’t get much playing time with their clubs like Mohamed Shawky and Mohamed Zidan.
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• Furthermore, the friendly against Oman, despite the win, left the fans worried as the team failed to give a good performance and lacked teamwork and tactical organization.
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• Algeria:
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• On the other hand, formed mainly of foreign based players, the Algerian team held a preparation camp in Marseille, France seeking a calm atmosphere away from their enthusiastic fans at home.
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• Sports media in Algeria has been heavily charging the fans for the match. Tickets were sold out the day they were released as more than 50,000 Algerian fans are expected to attend.
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• Main players in the Algerian team are Olympiqe de Marseille midfielder Karim Ziani, Portsmouth winger Nadir Belhadj, JS Kabylie midfielder Hocine Achiou and Siena forward Abdelkader Ghezal.
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• However, goalkeeping is Algeria’s weakness. That’s why Saadane picked four keepers in the squad to choose from.
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• This will be the 21st meeting between the two teams. Algeria won six and Egypt won five, while nine matches ended in a draw.
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• Their most significant matches were the 1984 qualifier for the Olympic games, when a fight erupted between the two teams on the pitch after Egypt won 1-0; and the 1990 World Cup qualifier when Egypt also won 1-0 to secure its second ever seat in the World Cup.
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• Algerian former football star Lakhdar Belloumi was accused of causing permanent damage to an Egyptian fan’s eye during hectic celebrations in 1989 in a Cairo hotel lounge and was wanted by the Interpol. He couldn’t leave Algeria until the issue was finally solved earlier this year thanks to the intervention of the 2 countries’ higher authorities.
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• Algerian fans never forget the historical match during 2002 world cup qualifiers that ended 5-2 for Egypt as well as African Cup of Nations clash in Tunisia that ended 2-1 for 10-man Algeria.
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• Although the quality of football may not be at its highest, Arab fans will be keeping an eye on the match for its promised excitement and action.