Slovenia and Algeria will meet in a group C match on Sunday. Either team winning this match could have a great opportunity to qualify from a group in which England and USA are considered favourites to qualify for the round of 16.
A draw between the sides will only favour England and USA, so both teams could look to attack, and try and bank three full points from the game.
Algeria won a play-off against Egypt to gain a surprise qualification for this World Cup. They last qualified for the World Cup in 1986, and before that in 1982, and in neither of those tournaments did they get past the group stage.
Coach Rabah Saadane who oversaw those campaigns appears confident that his team will do better this time round.
Full-backs Madjid Bourgherra and Nadir Belhadj will have a big hand in any good fortune the team enjoys in South Africa; both bring their playing experience in the English Premier League to bear. They are all rounders who can attack when needed.
Forward Rafik Saifi, 35, is the team’s father figure, with experience playing for club team Istres in France. He has scored 19 goals from 62 games for Algeria.
This is Slovenia’s second foray into a World Cup, after 2002, on which occasion they exited after the group stage. They were lucky to qualify on an away goals rule after tieing 2-2, with Russia.
Slovenia strength lies in defence, with Samir Handanovic outstanding in goal, and they have been scored against on only 6 occasions in 10 qualifiers. Coach Matjaz Kek, a former defender, has groomed the team in his own defensive mould.
The 6’4″ tall forward Milivoje Novakovic, who plays for Koln, had the maximum of five goals in the qualifiers and will bear the burden of attacking. His height makes him formidable in set pieces and aerial attacks.
But Slovenia lack a quality midfielder to back Novakovic, with Robert Koren not quite measuring up, For Slovenia, the Algeria match is crucial, as a win here could set up a battle royale with USA, for second place behind England.
Algeria’s recent form is not inspiring, and if Slovenia can get a goal in, they have the defensive strength to make it count.
The key battle that could decide the eventual course of this match could be that between Aleksandr Radosavljevic and Karim Ziani. If Ziani’s attacking flair can be controlled, the threat to Slovenia’s goal would be reduced greatly, allowing the squad to put their own attacking plans to the test.
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