Algeria have 'identified weakness' ahead of Burkina Faso clash
Algeria head coach Djamel Belmadi insists that lessons have been learnt from their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations opener as they prepare to take on Burkina Faso at the Stade de la Paix on Saturday, January 20.
Kick-off is at 4pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)
CURRENT FORM:
The Fennec Foxes kicked off their campaign in Ivory Coast with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Angola on January 15, having taken an 18th-minute lead through Baghdad Bounedjah but were pegged back by Mabululu's penalty on 68 minutes.
The stalemate brought an end to a three-match winning streak for Belmadi's side, who remain unbeaten in their last 12 games since losing 2-0 to Sweden in a friendly on 19 November 2022.
The Stallions made a winning start to the tournament after edging Mauritania 1-0 on January 16 courtesy of a last-gasp penalty from Bertrand Traore in the 96th minute.
Hubert Velud's side have now won three of their last five matches, with their only setback coming in a 2-1 defeat to Iran on January 5 as a warm-up for the continental showpiece.
TEAM NEWS:
Neither team reported any injuries from their opening matches, although Bertrand Traore will be pushing for a recall to the starting line-up for Burkina Faso after stepping off the bench to score the dramatic winner against the Lions of Chinguetti. Dango Ouattara will also be hoping to feature after being left out of the squad for their Group D opener.
WHAT WAS SAID:
Algeria head coach Djamel Belmadi
"This is not the result we expected. We were expecting to have three points. We tried our best and didn't want to lose the game so we did what we can do to get a point which was necessary.
"We were supposed to do better in the second half but we can also talk about the moments we did well. We have identified our
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