The Sunday Mail
Algeria defender Ramy Bensebaini has said “all games are tough” as the defending champions prepare for the final Afcon qualifying matches.
The Desert Foxes — who have already qualified for the tournament in Cameroon next year — play Zambia on March 25 in Lusaka, before ending their campaign at home against Botswana.
Bensebaini, who plays his domestic football in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach, said that with all three of the other teams in Group H still capable of qualifying, it will not be an easy end to the group.
“We are aware that it won’t be easy — all games will be tough to play” he said.
“We all know that in Africa, there are no weak teams or average teams.
“They all have a good level.”
Bensebaini praised the “good squad of real players” who will be defending the title won in Egypt in 2019, when they overcame Senegal in the final.
If they were to do that, it would be the first time a team has retained the trophy since Egypt in 2010.
“Before the last Afcon, nobody was expecting us — and we still delivered,” he said.
“We beat Senegal twice, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Guinea.
“Those games weren’t easy at all.
“All the games to come will be difficult, but it’s up to us to be mentally strong. We meant to go through each round and win this third Afcon.”
He added that Algeria remain “hungry” on the pitch despite their recent success.
“We never give up, so it’s hard to beat us.
“We are ready for the battle,” he said.
Meanwhile, Guinea defender Ousmane Kante has expressed disappointment at the prospect of missing out on the country’s qualifiers for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, as clubs in the top two French leagues implemented a ban on their players leaving the European Union.
The ban, which was formally announced on Wednesday, prevents any player in Ligue 1 and 2 from travelling outside the EU/European Economic Area because of the amount of time they have to spend in quarantine when returning to France.
This has hit teams like Guinea — who have a number of France-based players, including Kante at Paris FC — ahead of the final round of qualifying fixtures for the Nations Cup finals in Cameroon.
“It’s disappointing because we have not yet qualified,” Kante told BBC Sport Africa.
“I personally really wanted to play in these qualifiers.”
Guinea face Mali at home on March 24, followed by their final Group A fixture away in Namibia.
Guinea are second in the group — the top two qualify — and five points ahead of third-placed Namibia.
Kante stated that although he was sad to be missing the games, he believed the there was enough depth in Didier Six’s squad to compensate for the loss of the France-based players.
“We only need one point and I think that we can do it in those two matches we still have,” he said.
“Of course we want to take part, but on the other hand, we also understand the club’s position.
“For us personally, we (at Paris FC) have an interesting end of the season as we are facing teams that are direct rivals for promotion, so I can understand the club wants to have all its ammunition.”
Kante said that on a wider level, it was clear that the qualifying would be impacted, as the level some teams would be able to reach would be reduced.
“Not everybody will fight on equal terms, for sure,” he said.
He added that he retained “perspective” from the fact that as a footballer, he has the “privilege to be able to do what we are passionate about.”
“Some people don’t have that chance,” he added.
