The Algeria national team has been dealt a double blow ahead of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Togo. The technical staff announced the absence of defenders Bashir Bloumi and Joan Hajam due to injury, prompting manager Ibrahim Hamdani to call up left-back Fahim Ben Youssef as a replacement. This call-up comes ahead of the scheduled home fixture against Togo on Saturday 11 November.
Bloumi of Hali City and Hajam of Brighton will miss the Desert Warriors' November camp. The technical staff stated that injuries have ruled the pair out of the two key fixtures.
Ben Youssef call-up
The call-up of Fahim Ben Youssef, who plays for Italian Serie B side Mantova, is to bolster the defensive line, particularly at left-back where he is ranked fourth among the options. This call-up comes as striker Ahmad Nour of Pyramids is also absent from the squad.
The move comes ahead of the first match against Togo at the Hussein Ait Ahmed Stadium in Tizi Ouzou on Saturday, November 11, in the third round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFCON to be hosted by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. The two sides meet again three days later at the Kigali Stadium in Lomé.
This reinforcement arrives with the team in good spirits, having won their last match 2-1 against Niger on October 6, with goals from Mehdi Belloumi and Ramy Bensebaini. Belloumi scored the equaliser in the 53rd minute, while Bensebaini netted the winner from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute. This victory is the sole result from their last match, meaning their recent form reads one win, with no draws or defeats. The next fixture at home to Togo will be a chance to build on the positive momentum from that last result.
The Algerian team began the qualifiers with a 3-1 win over Zambia and a 2-2 draw with Burundi. The side now aims to stays at the top of the group with back-to-back wins against Togo.
This story first appeared at FilGoal
