ALGERIA
FIFA Rank: 19
Coach: Vahid Halilhodzic
Captain: Medhi Lacen
Nickname: The Desert Warriors / The Greens
Best AFCON finish: Winners (1990)
AFCON 2012 finish: Did not qualify
AFCON PEDIGREE:
Algeria are currently ranked behind the Ivory Coast as Africa's second best side. They have a relatively good record in the Africa Cup of Nations, winning the tournament on home soil in 1990, and finishing as runners-up 10 years before that. The Desert Foxes also achieved third place finishes in 1984 and 1988, while in 1982 and 2010 they were the fourth best team at the tournament.
The Greens may have had some success at AFCON 2010 in Angola, but their recent record in the tournament is mediocre, having failed to qualify in 2006, 2008 and 2012.
The North Africans are also one of few countries from the continent to have played at a FIFA World Cup, having qualified for three instalments of the global event. Their ranking as the second-best team on the continent is a bit curious given their recent AFCON form, but understandable on the while.
SQUAD OVERVIEW:
Algeria's players are spread out over an array of various domestic leagues. A handful are based at home in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1, while several others play in top European leagues, including France, Spain, Italy and Germany.
The 28-year-old captain Medhi Lacen is a regular in La Liga, occupying the midfield holding role at Getafe, where he plays against some of the world's best attacking talents on a regular basis. Paris-born Lacen made his national team debut in 2010 and played in Algeria's three group games at the World Cup that year.
Another player expected to shine at AFCON 2013 in Valencia's attacking midfielder Sofiane Feghouli. Feghouli has played for France at youth international level, but made his debut for the Algerian senior side in 2011.
He is expected to provide the creative spark for the Desert Foxes in midfield. Primarily a creator of goals for team-mates Feghouli is also a proven goal scorer himself. Algeria can count on the 22-year-old to shoulder some of the team's goal burden and weigh in with a few.
FULL SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Azzeddine Doukha (Harrach), Rais Mbolhi (Krylia Sovetov/RUS), Cedric Si Mohammed (Bejaia)
Defenders: Essaïd Belkalem and Ali Rial (JS Kabylie), Carl Medjani and Mehdi Mostefa (Ajaccio/FRA), Liassine Cadamuro (Real Sociedad/ESP), Faouzi Ghoulam (Saint-Etienne/FRA), Rafik Halliche (Academica/POR), Djamel Mesbah (AC Milan/ITA)
Midfielders: Hameur Bouazza (Racing Santander/ESP), Ryad Boudebouz (Sochaux/FRA), Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia/ESP), Adlene Guedioura (Nottingham Forest/ENG), Foued Kadir (Marseille/FRA), Medhi Lacen (Getafe/ESP), Khaled Lemmouchia (Club Africain/TUN), Saad Tedjar (USMA)
Strikers: Mohamed Aoudia (Entente Setif), Yacine Bezzaz (CS Constantine), Islam Slimani (Belouizdad), Hilal Soudani (Guimares/POR)
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