Algeria will have
revenge in mind when they renew World Cup rivalries with Germany 32 years on
from the 'Shame of Gijon'.
Officially, there
will be a place in the quarter-finals of the 2014 event at stake when the two
nations lock horns in Porto Alegre on Monday.
History, though,
dictates that there is much more than mere tournament progression riding on the
contest for Algeria.
Algeria: Making history
Having beaten West
Germany 2-1 at the 1982 World Cup, Algeria were denied a place in the knockout
stage after a now infamous victory for the Germans over Austria a few days
later – with the two sides collaborating to ensure that the 1-0 scoreline
required to take both through came to pass.
The issue still
rankles with the North Africans, but they can console themselves with the fact
that they are now making history as they go.
Qualification into
the second round has been secured for the first time – some three decades too
late for some - and they can take great pride in that achievement.
Algeria finished as
runners-up in Group H, with a nervy 1-1 draw with Russia in their final outing
taking them through at the expense of their opponents.
Coach Vahid
Halilhodzic is aware that further heroics will be required if the adventure is
to continue, with Germany considered by many to be favourites to go all the
way.
Opta stats
·
Germany have lost both of their previous meetings with Algeria
in all competitions, scoring once and conceding four times.
·
Germany have reached the semi-finals of the last three World
Cups. No nation has ever made the last four in four successive tournaments.
·
Algeria’s six goals have been scored by five different players.
Only Colombia (6) had more scorers during the group stages of the World Cup
than Algeria.
·
Thomas Müller has scored nine goals in nine World Cup
appearances, including four in three so far in 2014.
He said: “We are
the small, small Algeria and now play against the big, big Germany. This fourth
game will be more than complicated.”
Halilhodzic is
expected to draft former Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra back into his
starting XI, with the centre-half having been benched against Russia as Algeria
freshened things up and sought to avoid any costly suspensions for those
carrying yellow cards.
Germany, meanwhile,
will feel that there is still more to come from them, despite making light work
of a so-called ‘Group of Death’ as they collected seven points.
Their opening
fixture, a 4-0 demolition of Portugal, showcased what they are capable of on
their day, while battling qualities earned them a draw with Ghana and a narrow
victory over USA.
Joachim Low will be
hoping to draw on the positives from each of those outings as the serious
business of knockout competition gets underway, but he insists there is no
chance of his much-fancied side taking Algeria lightly.
He said: "If
anybody thinks or believes - and I think this is a feeling among the general
public - that Algeria are easy opponents and that we can already start thinking
of the next round, then they're making a huge mistake.
"We must
remain focused and on our toes because any complacency will be punished.
Germany: Among the favourites
"I took a look
at Algeria yesterday for an hour and I know we're up against a very compact
side who run a lot and are aggressive.
"I've rarely
seen a team defend so vehemently, but still attack with purpose. Their whole
country is euphoric, so we're up against a strong opponents."
Low has also
attempted to play down the revenge talk, although there will be no avoiding it come
kick-off.
He added:
"When I hear people talking about revenge, it irritates me. Apart from
maybe (Miroslav) Klose or (Roman) Weidenfeller, none of our players were even
born then so they have no idea what happened.
"For our
players, it's not an issue."
Low has revealed
that he will be persevering with Philipp Lahm in a midfield role, while he must
decide whether to keep faith with Sami Khedira alongside him or offer a recall
to Bastian Schweinsteiger – with the Bayern Munich man rested against the United
States.
Jerome Boateng will
also be hoping to be involved after shaking off a slight knee complaint, but it
has been confirmed that Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski will play no part as he
nurses a muscular problem – although he will be ready for the quarter-finals if
Germany make it through.
Charlie Nicholas'
prediction
I think Germany
will simply be too strong for Algeria and they have too much quality in their
squad to fall at this hurdle.
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