The Algeria national team has ruled out midfielder Hisham Boudaoui for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Togo due to a back injury. Coach Ibrahim Hamdani announced the decision on Tuesday following the results of a medical scan.
Hamdani said: "The player is suffering from back pain, for which he underwent an MRI scan on Tuesday evening." The coach added that he consequently decided to release Boudaoui from the camp and call up Adam Zrcan, who will join the national technical centre in Sidi Moussa the same day.
Boudaoui, who plays for French club Nice, has been a key element in Algeria's setup. This exclusion comes at a critical time as the team prepares for the third and fourth rounds of qualifying. Algeria leads Group 9 with 4 points, one point ahead of second-placed Zambia. The team maintains a positive run of form, with one win in its last match and no draws or defeats.
The squad change follows just days after Algeria's 2-1 friendly win over Niger last month, where Mohamed Belloumi and Ramy Bensebaini found the net. Belloumi scored the equalizer in the 53rd minute, while Bensebaini netted the winner from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute. Algeria hosts Togo on Saturday, November 14, in the third qualifying round, before facing them again on Tuesday in the fourth round.
Hamdani had also excluded goalkeeper Abdelatif Ramadan from the camp due to his father's passing, calling up goalkeeper Ryan Yessli from Olympique Abou as a replacement. The first match against Togo kicks off at 10 PM local time.
This story first appeared at يلاكورة
