Algeria star and former Man City's Mahrez reveals recipe for Cup of Nations success
"Whichever country is the best prepared and enjoys a little bit of luck will go all the way," the 32-year-old winger told reporters. "Experience is also a major factor. I and many teammates in the Algerian squad know all about the Cup of Nations.
"Making a good start is often crucial. We beat Kenya in our opening match in 2019 and won the tournament. We drew with Sierra Leone three years later and flopped." France-born Mahrez, who left the Premier League for the lucrative Saudi Pro League this year, was a key figure when Algeria won the 2019 Cup of Nations in Egypt.
He was also part of the squad that fared dismally when defending the title in Cameroon two years ago as defeats by Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast led to elimination after the first round. Algeria, with a mix of 2019 survivors and new blood, are favourites to win Group D at the 2024 finals, which kick off in the Ivory Coast commercial capital Abidjan on Saturday.
They are the top seeds in a section including Burkina Faso, a team with second, third and fourth place finishes in their past four appearances, and outsiders Angola and Mauritania. The top two in the final standings automatically advance to the round of 16 and it would be a shock if Algeria and Burkina Faso did not fill those positions.
That would leave two-time quarter-finalists Angola and Mauritania, seeking a first win at the tournament, fighting to be one of the best four third-place finishers and also qualifying. Born in a northern Paris suburb, Mahrez qualifies for Algeria because his late father was born in the oil-rich north African country.
"I visited the village where my father was born every year and felt a deep sense of belonging. I was really close to the people, and to my adopted
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