Algeria manager Brahim Hemdani has lost Amine Chiakha and Rafik Belghali to injury ahead of the two Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers against Togo.
The pair will miss both matches, including Saturday’s fourth-round fixture, after the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) confirmed their withdrawals on Thursday evening, 48 hours before the game.
Their departures take the number of absentees from the current Algeria squad to six.
Chiakha, who plays for Rosenborg, suffered a muscle injury to his leg during Wednesday’s training session. Medical examinations carried out the following day confirmed that the forward would not be available for the double-header.
Belghali, meanwhile, has been struggling with persistent knee pain and has been unable to train normally with the rest of the squad. Both players have been released from the camp to continue their treatment.
Hemdani has called up only one replacement, with right-back Saadi Radouani joining the squad. Radouani recently won the Supercoupe d’Afrique with USM Alger.
The latest withdrawals follow those of Jaouen Hadjam, Hicham Boudaoui and Bachir Belloumi. Goalkeeper Abdelatif Ramdane has also left the camp after the death of his father.
Rayane Yesli of Olympique Akbou, left-back Fahem Benaissa-Yahia of Mantova and midfielder Adem Zorgane of Union Saint-Gilloise had previously been added to the squad to cover for the earlier absentees.
Limited attacking options
The loss of Chiakha and Belloumi has particularly weakened Algeria’s attacking options. However, Hemdani has decided against bringing in another forward, despite the two withdrawals.
That leaves Amine Gouiri and Monsef Bakrar as the only recognised central striking options in the squad. Mohamed Amine Amoura can also play in a two-man attack, but no other specialist centre-forward is available to the manager.
Belghali’s absence creates another issue on the right side of defence. As in September, the competition for that position is expected to involve Achraf Abada, Sohaib Nair, Mohamed Azzi and the newly called-up Radouani.
Azzi and Radouani can also provide cover on the left, where Algeria’s options have been reduced by the ongoing absences.
The matches against Togo are the third and fourth rounds of the CAN 2027 qualifying campaign. With the latest changes, Hemdani must prepare for the second game of the double-header with a squad further depleted by injuries and the loss of Ramdane for personal reasons.