Our prediction for this Africa Cup of Nations 2024 match:
Mauritania
Match Time & Date:
23/01/2024
12:00 PM
Prediction: 1-3
Algeria
Mauritania will be looking to make amends for back-to-back loses to Burkina Faso and Angola when they take on Algeria in their final group game. The Lions of Chinguetti missed out on a spot in the knockout stages and it is no wonder they are low on confidence ahead of Tuesday’s clash. Forward Hemeya Tanjy is pushing for a start, while there are no fresh injury worries in Amir Abdou’s team.
The Desert Warriors, on the other hand, face a must-win situation after they shared the spoils with both Angola and Burkina Faso and we predict that they will take advantage of Mauritania’s shaky defence. In four of their last five meetings between Algeria and Mauritania Riyad Mahrez and Co. emerged triumphant, which is yet another reason why away win should be considered. Algeria defender Ramy Bensebaini serves a one-game ban due to the accumulation of yellow cards.
Highlighted Player (Youcef Atal):
The Boghni born Algerian started playing football at the age of ten when he joined CR Belouizdinad's youth academy in 2006. His decade long youth career saw him feature for other more Algerian teams before signing a professional contract with the last one, namely Paradou AC, in 2015.
Atal, who predominantly plays as a right-back, made his first professional appearance on the 9th of January 2016, playing in Paradou's 3-0 over CR Beni Thour in the Coupe d'Algerie. His performances during his 17/18 loan spell at Belgian Club Kortrijk earned him a move to France with OGC Nice in 2018.
At Nice, the 23-year-old has become a valuable first-team player and is on a five-year contract expiring in 2023. On the International stage, Atal has capped 14 times for Algeria, making his debut on the 6th of June, 2017, in a friendly against Guinea.
Highlighted Team (Mauritania):
Affiliated to both CAF (Africa) and WAFU (West Africa) confederations, Mauritania are the national team that qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in their history. The Lions of Chinguetti were grouped with the likes of Angola, Burkina Faso and Botswana in the qualifiers for the 2019 tournament, with the team finishing the team collecting 12 points from possible 18.
Mauritania, though, have yet to book their place at the FIFA World Cup finals. The Lions of Chinguetti suffered a heavy 5-1 loss to Malagasy Republic on their international debut (25 December, 1961) and they registered their biggest win 45 years later, with the team crushing Somalia 8-2 in Beirut, Lebanon.
Back in 1972 Mauritania suffered the biggest lost in the history of the national team as they were beaten 14-0 by Guinea. Stade Olympique, which can hold up to 20,000 people, is considered the team’s home ground.
