David GOMBE
Algeria head coach Madjid Bougherra has issued a warning to CHAN co-hosts Uganda ahead of their group C encounter at Mandela National Stadium in Namboole on Monday.
During the press briefing on Sunday, Bougherra asserted that his charges are well prepared for the tough opener.
“I thank Uganda for the reception. The country is peaceful. We are ready to face Uganda. We know what it means playing with your fans home, but we are prepared for it.We expect a tough game. We know Uganda will do anything to make their fans proud. It’s a good game to start with when you win it, it puts you there as a competitor of the championship.”
“We’ve played before huge crowds and we are looking forward to the match against Uganda. It won’t be an easy game, but we are ready.’
The former Algeria international defender believes pressure is on the host nation.
“We need to take it game by game. It’s a different competition as teams change, so everyone starts as a favorite. We want to go as far as possible. The pressure is on Uganda as they are home, not us.” Bougherra concluded
Since taking charge of the CHAN team in 2021, Bougherra has made an immediate impact. He led Algeria to victory at the FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar and steered the team to the CHAN final in 2022.
They agonisingly came close to lifting their maiden CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) title in 2022 on home soil but lost to Senegal in the final.
The Desert Foxes are featuring in their third CHAN tournament, and second in a row, after reaching the semi-finals in 2011 and finishing runners-up in the 2022 edition held in Algiers.
