Slovenia-Algeria Preview

Jun 11, 2010 - 5:41 PM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer=

Playoff upsets earned Algeria and Slovenia trips to South Africa. More surprises will be needed if they're going to lengthen their stay, but facing each other in their World Cup opener Sunday in Polokwane could hurt those chances.

Algeria's run to its third World Cup appearance and first since 1986 featured a dramatic finish. Defender Antar Yahia scored in a 1-0 win over Egypt in a playoff necessitated by both teams tying in all categories atop their group.

The Desert Foxes failed to build on that success in the African Cup of Nations in January, falling 4-0 to Egypt in the semifinals, as the Pharaohs went on to win the tournament for a third time in a row.

Slovenia's only World Cup appearance came in 2002, when it lost all three games. The team finished second in its qualifying group for this tournament, ahead of the Czech Republic and Poland, which both qualified for the last two Cups. It followed that up by clinching a World Cup berth via the away goals tiebreaker after playing to a 2-all aggregate tie with then-No. 12 Russia.

Slovenia, ranked 25th, and No. 30 Algeria will need more upsets to advance from the first round for the first time. They're in Group C, which includes England and the United States.

"We'll do our best, though it's a massive challenge," Algeria coach Rabah Saadane said. "It's an achievement to be qualified. To make it to the second round would be startling.

"Whatever technical deficiencies we may have, we'll compensate by playing with all our heart. We'll make our people proud."

Saadane has made a controversial move, benching captain Yazid Mansouri for Sunday, declaring his form isn't good enough. The midfielder has 67 caps and is one of 20 team members who play for European clubs.

Rafik Saifi and Abdelkader Ghezzal are two others who play in Europe and will be the focal point of Algeria's offensive play. The forwards combined for five goals in qualifying and will likely start together.

France-born Ghezzal adds an aerial threat to the attack.

Slovenia's strength is in its defensive play. The team allowed six goals in 12 qualifiers, and Samir Handanovic accumulated seven shutouts.

While the defense is expected to be tight, Milivoje Novakovic will be relied upon to score. The 6-foot-4 forward, the captain of Koln in Germany, led Slovenia with five goals in qualifying and has 16 in 38 appearances.

Novakovic scored twice in a 3-1 win over New Zealand on June 4 after struggling in the Bundesliga with six goals in 30 games. He had totaled 36 over the previous two seasons.

Although the teams have never met, Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek feels his squad is familiar with Algeria.

"I studied the Algerian games versus Egypt and some African Nations Cup games," Kek said. "Some of my players play in their cubs along the Algerian fellows so I get enough information to prepare the opener well."