HIBAPRESS – Sports
Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic revealed, on Saturday, the final list of the Algerian national team that will participate in the finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled to be held in Morocco during the period from December 21st to January 18th, which witnessed some limited surprises, especially at the level of new names.
The list included 28 players, announced by Petkovic during a press conference, 11 days before the "Greens" play their first match in the group stage against the Sudanese national team, within Group E, which also includes Equatorial Guinea and Burkina Faso. The list did not undergo drastic changes compared to previous camps, except for the first call-up for both Adel Boulbina and Redouane Berkan, after their remarkable performance with the Algerian reserve team in the 2025 Arab Cup, which prompted Petkovic to give them a chance to appear for the first time with the first team. At the level of goalkeeping, Mouloudia Alger goalkeeper Alexis Guendouz was absent due to a muscle injury, as expected, while the call-up of French club Caen goalkeeper Anthony Mandrea was a prominent surprise, especially since he plays in the French third division, and was absent from the coach's calculations during the past periods, to return again to the "Greens" list. As for the defense line, it did not witness major changes, as Petkovic maintained his main pillars, with the return of Esperance de Tunis defender Mohamed El-Amine Tougai after recovering from injury, in addition to prominent names such as Issa Mandi, Ramy Bensebaini, and Rayan Aït Nouri. In the attacking line, Riyad Mahrez topped the list of attacking names, along with veteran Baghdad Bounedjah, and top scorer of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers Mohamed El-Amine Amoura, in addition to young elements seeking to prove themselves, including Anis Hadj Moussa, Mounsef Bakrar, Redouane Berkan and Adel Boulbina. The Algerian national team enters this edition with great ambitions to restore its continental brilliance, after the failures of the previous two editions, relying on a mixture of experience and youth, in a tournament held on Moroccan soil and in an anticipated public atmosphere. The following is the lineup: Goalkeepers: Luca Zidane, Oussama Benbot, Anthony Mandrea. Defense: Issa Mandi, Youcef Atal, Ramy Bensebaini, Samir Chergui, Zinedine Belaid, Rayan Aït Nouri, Jaouen Hadjam, Rafik Belghali, Mehdi Dorval, Mohamed El-Amine Tougai. Midfield: Hicham Boudaoui, Ismael Bennacer, Ramiz Zerrouki, Ibrahim Maza, Houssem Aouar, Adam Zorgane, Ilan Kebbal, Fares Chaibi. Attack: Riyad Mahrez, Anis Hadj Moussa, Mohamed El-Amine Amoura, Baghdad Bounedjah, Mounsef Bakrar, Redouane Berkan, Adel Boulbina.
