The Fennecs are limping towards the World Cup, and they will be keen to record a strong result against the UAE...

Kick Off: Saturday, June 5, 2010. 18:00 CET
Frankenstadion, Nuernberg, Germany

Not In Good Touch

Recent results suggest that Algeria will struggle when the World Cup finally rolls around, and les Fennecs will want to quickly gather some momentum after a series of demoralising losses when they meet with the UAE on Saturday evening in Germany.

Rabah Saadane's side have suffered a series of blows, which started when they were eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations by Egypt, the side they pipped in a dramatic playoff to reach South Africa, 4-0 at the semi-final stage. A 1-0 loss to Nigeria followed in the third-fourth playoff, and since then 3-0 friendly defeats against Serbia and the Republic of Ireland have hurt the squad further.

But there have been issues away from the field too. Lazio playmaker Mourad Meghni has failed to make the squad due to injury, keeping some of the nation’s attacking impetus with him, while veterans such as Madjid Bougherra and Antar Yahia have both been carrying problems lately and are still fighting for full fitness.

There are clearly an array of problems for the coach to deal with ahead of the flight to South Africa, and these simply cannot be remedied over the course of 90 minutes. Going to the finals with confidence is vital, however, and the 30th ranked side in FIFA’s list can regain some of that valuable commodity with a strong success on Saturday.

Looking To 2011

It's been a long time since the UAE had the luxury of being able to look forward to a World Cup, 20 years, in fact. When the United Arab Emirates did qualify for Italia '90, they found the going hard, losing all three matches and scoring only two goals for the concession of 11 during the competition.

Since then their big tournament pedigree has improved little, with a second placed finish in the 1996 Asian Cup very much the highlight in what has otherwise been an unremarkable period. This is reflected in the nation’s FIFA ranking of 100, and though their ELO ranking is a little better at 95, they are very much a middle-ranking power in the game.

Presently gearing up to the 2011 Asian Cup, which takes place in Qatar, the UAE are preparing for fixtures against Iraq, Iran and World Cup qualifiers North Korea. Algeria will therefore make good opponents for Srecko Katanec’s side, who will hope to break their 15-year long series of disappointment at the competition.

Meanwhile, the country hosts the 2010 Club World Cup, with Al Wahda from the home nation ready to pit themselves against the likes of European representatives Inter and CONCACAF’s Pachuca.

FORM GUIDE

Algeria

LOST 3-0 (a) Republic of Ireland (Friendly, May 28)

LOST 3-0 (a) Serbia (Friendly, March 3)

LOST 1-0 (n) Nigeria (Africa Cup of Nations, January 30)

LOST 4-0 (n) Egypt (Africa Cup of Nations, January 28)

WON 3-2 aet (n) Ivory Coast (Africa Cup of Nations, January 24)

UAE

WON 3-2 (a) Moldova (Friendly, May 29)

WON 1-0 (a) Uzbekhistan (Friendly, March 3)

WON 1-0 (h) Malaysia (Friendly, January 6)

DREW 0-0 (a) Kuwait (Friendly, December 16)

LOST 1-0 (h) Iraq (Friendly, November 18)

TEAM NEWS

Algeria

Les Fennecs will be without Lazio midfielder Mourad Meghni, whose knee injury requires surgery. He will therefore miss all of the summer's competition.

Additionally, Rafik Saifi, Madjid Bougherra and Antar Yahia have all been carrying problems, but they should be fit to start this fixture if required.

Probable Starting XI: Gaouaoui; Halliche, Bougherra, Belaid, Belhadj; Boudebouz, Lacen, Mansouri, Ziani; Djebbour, Matmour

UAE

Heavy rain has restricted the training program of the squad, though a full complement of players are expected to be available for coach Srecko Katanec, including Ismail Matar, who missed the recent encounter against Moldova.

Abdul Rahim Jumaa, Amer Mubarak, Ali Al Weihibi, Waleed Abbas and Abdullah Mosa are not in the squad.

Probable Starting XI: Khusaif; Al Kamali, F. Jumaa, Jaber, Faiz; Rahman, Khater, Khamis, Awanah; Al-Shehhi, Al Kas

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Algeria

Though a rookie at international level, Ryad Boudebouz is an exciting talent at 20-years-old and will be looking to make a impression at the World Cup this summer. Not even an automatic selection at club side Sochaux, the French-born midfielder has generally shone when placed in the spotlight. By travelling to South Africa, he is fulfilling a lifelong ambition and there can be little doubt he will want to put in a strong showing on Saturday to increase his chances of game-time at the world’s biggest football tournament.

UAE

Mohamed Al Shehhi is the player that Algeria will have to most closely police, though with the nickname ‘The Ghost’, it is clear that the Africans’ defence will have a tough time keeping tabs on the 22-year-old, who has already acquired more than 35 caps for his country. With a strong goal scoring record in the UAE league with Al-Wahda, he will want to display his talents on a greater stage.

PREDICTION

Les Fennecs will want to go to the World Cup with some kind of positive momentum behind them, so they will be pushing hard for a comfortable win in this encounter. The FIFA rankings suggest a comfortable win for Algeria, even if recent form does not necessarily point in that direction.

Algeria 2-0 UAE