World Cup 2014: Gambia team in Algiers ahead of Algeria qualifier

A 30-member Gambian delegation headed by the deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Malang Jassey arrived at the Houari Boumediene International Airport of Algiers on Monday afternoon. The delegation was welcomed at the foot of the aircraft by Mohamed Boukaroum, Federal Bureau member of the Algerian Football Federation.

• The Gambian delegation is hosted at the Safir Mazafran Hotel in Zeralda and will continue to stay there until their qualifying fixture against the Desert Foxes of Algeria slated for Friday evening at 19:30 in Blida’s Mustapha Tchaker Stadium.

  The Friday game is the return leg of the second qualifying round of the 2013 South African AFCON.

  The Gambian team arrived on a day that the host nation, Algeria also returned home from their trip to Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) where they played (and lost 2-1) their second 2014 World Cup qualifier against Mali due to the current unrest in the troubled West African country.

  Both teams will enter the game coming at the back of respective away defeats with similar score-lines as they both lost 2-1 to Tanzania and Mali respectively. But it will be the Greens of Algeria who will come into the game in better shape following their 2-1 away win in Banjul in February.

  The Algerian team following their arrival directly went to the National Technical Centre of the Algerian Football Federation in Sidi Moussa, and conducted a training session at NTC playing field. After their arrival in Algiers, the coaching staff gave a free day to Real Sociedad’s Medhi Lacen to miss the training session at Sidi Moussa on Tuesday evening.

  The Algeria team coach, Vahid Halilhodzic will also give a press conference today, Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 11:00 Algerian time in the centre of the OCO Press Boudiaf in Algiers where he is expected to answer questions from the press in regard to the Friday world cup qualifying match against the Scorpions of Gambia.