Algeria to miss three key players for friendly against Sweden

Algeria will be without three key players when they face Sweden in an international friendly match to be played on Tuesday in Stockholm. Head coach Vladimir Petkovic will need to find suitable replacements before heading into the game.

Les Fennecs will be without the services of Youcef Belaïli, Mohamed-Amine Tougaï, and Mohamed Amoura. All three players were part of the national team when they beat Rwanda 2-0 last week. The Espérance de Tunis duo, Belaïli and Tougaï, were granted permission to join the Tunisian champions as they prepare for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States of America. The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) accepted a request from Espérance to release the duo before the end of the FIFA international window.

To Petkovic’s dismay, Amoura sustained an injury while playing against Rwanda. According to Gazette du Fennec, Petkovic said their win against Rwanda was marred by the injury to the Wolfsburg attacking midfielder. “The only bad news is Amoura’s injury,” the Bosnian added.

It is a huge blow for Algeria to lose Amoura, who had scored six goals and provided two assists in his last four competitive matches for his country. Algeria will be hoping to change history when they face Sweden, as they have not beaten the Scandinavians in their five previous meetings.