Khaberni - Algerian national team captain Riyad Mahrez emphasized on Tuesday in Rabat that the African Nations Cup finals in Morocco will be "important for the new generation of Algerian football with many youths and some veterans".
Mahrez said at a press conference on the eve of facing Sudan in the first round of Group Five matches, "It will be an opportunity to write a new history, we need to make a difference and present our best, and we have no excuses otherwise".
Algeria was eliminated without any victory in the first round in the last two editions following their second championship win in their history in Egypt in 2019, and Mahrez received his share of criticism due to his declining performance as he aged (34 years old).
Al-Ahli Jeddah's attacker said, "Criticism occurs as we age and change the championships we play in, but I don't care about them and focus on what I can do and on my national team so we can achieve something together".
He added, "Morale is high and we are not thinking about the past, we focus on tomorrow’s match which is an opportunity for us to achieve a good result, we have the capability and the qualifications, we have a great team and we need to show that and reassure that everything is okay".
He continued, "We have a chance to regain balance and achieve our best, and pressure is part of a football player's journey, but the players know the responsibility of wearing the national jersey and defending the country's colors. The pressure is there and will continue and they will be ready to face all of that, and we will see tomorrow".
Regarding playing in his mother's country, he said, "We had a good reception from the Moroccans and we are happy to be in a neighboring country. Being my father Algerian and my mother Moroccan adds something else, we are happy to participate in this competition and will do everything to present our best".
Meanwhile, the Algerian coach of Bosnian-Swiss descent Vladimir Petković said, "What happened in the past is not important for us and we will work on tomorrow in a good way to continue this adventure with confidence and positivity".
He added, "My team did everything well and we will undergo the final training session today to determine the lineup and I believe we are ready and we are required to perform well for our country and our people".
He continued, "The first match is always difficult because we are coming from preparations and haven’t played enough preparatory matches, but we are calm and confident that we will give everything we have to win while respecting the opposing team".
