Algeria is Senegal’s Pet Peeve, Aliou Cissé Says
On Friday, the Senegalese national team’s coach Aliou Cissé discussed the friendly match scheduled for September 12 in Dakar against the Algerian Desert Warriors in a press conference organized by the local football federation.
He recalled that Algeria has often been a formidable opponent for the Lions, especially during their defeat in the CAN 2019 final.
Indeed, Aliou Cissé spoke of the importance of the next friendly match between Senegal and Algeria, scheduled for September 12, stressing that this match was neither revenge nor vengeance, despite Algeria’s “Pet Peeve” status for Senegal.
“The Algerian national team is the pet peeve of Senegal”, he said before citing the victory of the Fennecs in five matches, out of the last six confrontations between the two teams.
In the last five confrontations between the two teams, Algeria has won five victories, against one Senegalese victory and two draws. Cissé recalled that Algeria deserved its victory at the African Cup in 2019, just as Senegal won the CAN by being the best team at that time.
He added that the next match will not be “revenge,” because he will invest in it to inspect his players and prepare for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ivory Coast, when the continental title will be defended.
The Senegalese coach explained that this match was intended to prepare his team for upcoming events, adding that the technical management and the federation had defined a policy aimed at ensuring good preparation, given the uncertainty regarding the preparation time in January.
Regarding the reason for his selection of the Algerian national team as a preparatory competitor, Aliou Cissé said that Djamel Belmadi’s men form a respectable team and a useful test for the Senegalese, on the eve of a major continental tournament in Ivory Coast.
The match against Algeria will be a real test for Senegal, and Cissé is aware of the anticipation of all of Africa for this meeting. He concluded by specifying that this choice was guided by the desire to develop the game and advance the Senegalese national team.
The Teranga Lions’ coach expected that the match against Algeria would be strong and would attract the attention of Africans, especially the teams that will play in AFCON 2024.
