Posted 16:30 CET, 23 January 2024. Kickoff 21:00.
Algeria 1, Burkina Faso 1.
Group stage. Algeria must not lose. The squad has been disappointing in the qualifiers. The press at home is louder than the federation has been for any tournament since 2014. Belmadi knows this.
Burkina Faso is not the strongest team in the group, but they are the most disciplined. They will defend in two compact banks, they will not press high, they will wait for Algeria to commit numbers forward and then break.
Algeria will dominate possession. They will struggle to create. The midfield three has not looked balanced in any qualifier. Bentaleb is not at his best. Bennacer is carrying a quiet knock that the federation has not confirmed. Without those two coordinated, the central build-up is one fewer pass than it needs to be.
The decisive question is whether Mahrez gets isolated against his full-back. If yes, Algeria scores. If Burkina double up and force him inside, the chance count drops below what Algeria needs.
Belmadi will start cautious. He almost always does. He will adjust at half-time, probably introducing Slimani if the goal has not come.
Final prediction: a draw that feels like a loss. Algeria 1, Burkina Faso 1.