“Draw against Slovenia will be a positive result,” says Algeria’s Bougherra

Algeria’s defender Madjid Bougherra said he will not enter Sunday’s match against Slovenia with all his capacities because he suffered from injury. “Yet, I will do my best to win the match as it will be difficult,” he told Echorouk in an interview.

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• Are you ready for the competition?
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• I think we are in a good state. Our preparations were excellent. We did a number of training sessions where we focused on techniques and Sunday’s match.
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• What about your health state? Have you recovered from injury?
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• My participation against the UAE showed that I am in a good situation. We can say I am ready for the match against Slovenia.
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• Will you play with your all capacities?
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• Not totally but I will work on being in a better state in the next matches.
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• Fans hope that Algeria’s team will beat Slovenia. Is that possible?
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• We know that the match will be difficult and there will be a fierce competition. Yet, that does not mean we are in South Africa for tourism. We will play all our chances.
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• What could happen if you loose the match?
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• We are not thinking about defeat. We will play the match for victory. I think that a draw will be a positive result and we will not be ashamed about that. This is our first participation in the World Cup and we have to be realistic.
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• It seems that the match will be played tactically.
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• Not just tactically but also physically. Slovenia’s team have a remarkable energy though most of the players are young.
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• What are the instructions you received ahead of the match?
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• It is confidential but I hope that all the players will be ready.
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• Sunday’s match is the key to qualify to the second round. Do you feel pressure on you ahead of the match?
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• It is normal that pressure is going up day after day. Once we enter the pitch, everything will disappear. Even the Slovenian team suffer from lack of experience. Because of that, I think that the match will be balanced.
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• What do expect in the match against Slovenia?
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• A fierce competition and a stadium full with our fans.
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• Does it mean that you rely on fans’ support?
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• Our fans will make us more motivated and determined to do a good result.
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• What can you say about the return of Karim Ziani after a long absence from the competition?
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• Ziani is a great player. He managed to prove that he is ready for the World Cup. That makes us happy and motivates every player.