Russia 2018 Qualifiers: New Algerian Coach Dreams Nigeria’s Upstage

Bottom-placed Algeria still dream of picking the solitary World Cup ticket of Group B of the African qualifiers when the race resumes in August.

The third coach to handle the troubled Les Fennecs side to its third match of the final qualifying round, Lucas Alcaraz, banks on arithmetical chances even though the team is five points adrift of the group leaders, the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Alcaraz, who is the first Spaniard to be engaged by Algeria, believes Algeria can still qualify from the group if they beat Zambia in Ndola in August.

“We’re going to prepare in depth for the two matches against Zambia. The FIFA calendar dictates that our future’s going to hinge on those two games, played in the space of just five days.

“The players and the staff know what they have to do, what’s expected of them and the importance of these two matches. I need a lot of players for those two games and I’m absolutely convinced that if we beat Zambia, then we’ll qualify, he told fifa.com

Winning the match arithmetically pushed Algeria’s point haul to four points to close the first round of matches. However, it proves insignificant to Algeria if  Nigeria beat Cameroon on the same day of the Zambia-Algeria tie.

This fact may be well known to Alcaraz who in the course of the interview with fifa,com remarked : ““Obviously, we’re not the favourites, but we have to do everything in our power to get as many points and wins as we can. We have to fight hard in every game to make sure there are no regrets at the end of it all.”

The first test for Alcaraz  will be the June 11 Africa Cup of Nations home tie with Togo.