Mehdi Benatia: “Algeria Team Is The Closest To Win Africa Cup of Nations In Egypt”

Morocco’s football team captain and defender of the Qatari club Al Duhail, Mehdi Benatia, said the Algerian team will win the Africa Cup of Nations, which Egypt will host in the next summer, thus excluding his country from the list of candidates to win the continental title, which will run from June 21 to July 19.

Mehdi Ben Atia said in statements to a Qatari television, after withdrawing the draw for the 32 teams of the finals of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations; “The Algerian and Senegalese teams, which are in the same group, are the closest to win the next continental title. I think there are two candidates for the title, Algeria and Senegal”.

The draw of Cannes 2019, which was drawn on Friday in the pyramids of Giza, in the Egyptian capital Cairo, bought Djamal Belmadi’s players in the third group, along with Senegal, Kenya, and Tanzania, a group that is seen by football fans in Algeria as an easy group for the Greens given the previous versions.

As for the Moroccan national team, the former Juventus player said that he did not see the “Atlas Lions” crowned the African Cup of Nations in its next edition.

The draw brought the players of the French coach Hervé Renard along with Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, and Namibia.

Benatia said; “It is definitely one of the most difficult groups in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, and we will do our best to represent the Moroccan people in this competition in the best way”;

“I do not like to think about Morocco’s candidacy for the African Cup of Nations that will be hosted by Egypt. I do not like the idea of Morocco being nominated for the ACN. They nominate Morocco and think it has the best chance to win the cup, frankly, I do not want to think about this matter”.