The England Algeria match today puts pressure on the England team to make good after Saturday’s excruciating draw against the USA.
England boss Fabio Capello won’t name his squad until two hours before
kick-off and there’s still speculation over whether Rob Green and Emile
Heskey will be dropped.
Green could be replaced by David James or Joe Hart, while Heskey
may lose his place to Jermain Defoe.
It’ll be nail-biting stuff for England, who must record a victory in Cape Town,
to avoid the possibility of a last 16 clash against Germany.
England captain Steven Gerrard has put the pressure on star striker Wayne
Rooney – who has scored just once in eight internationals during the past
12 months – to start delivering goals.
Algeria manager, Rabah Saadane’s men will be keen to make their mark
following their opening defeat by Slovenia. However, the squad’s goalkeeper Faouzi
Chaouchi is a doubt with a knee injury, while striker Abdelkader Ghezzal is
banned due to a red card against Slovenia.
Algeria adopted a novel approach to get their adrenaline pumping ahead of the
clash, watching the film “Battle of Algiers”, a graphic account of
Algeria’s bloody struggle for independence from French colonial rule.
Tonight’s Cape Town match will be star studded, with London mayor Boris
Johnson in attendance as well as Princes Harry and William,
who will stay on after the game to play a leading role in Saturday’s reception
for England’s 2018 World Cup bid.
What the managers have said
about tonight’s game:
Fabio Capello: “In the second half of our first game, we
finished better than the US and were able to run a lot. This usually happens
with us as the other teams suffer because of the running. For this reason I’m
really relaxed about this game.”
Rabah Saadane: “England is one of the biggest teams in the
tournament. My players will not need any other motivation than they are playing
against England. If my team plays against Brazil or England it is a big
motivation for them.”
Now read this:
Tags: England squad, England goalie, Rob Green, Emile Heskey,
Rabah Saadane, Fabio Capello, World Cup 2010, England-Algeria
