{"id":883325,"date":"2026-01-08T05:18:31","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T11:18:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/08\/i-like-these-kind-of-matches-algeria-coach-petkovic-confident-ahead-of-afcon-2025-qf-date-with-nigeria\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T05:18:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T11:18:31","slug":"i-like-these-kind-of-matches-algeria-coach-petkovic-confident-ahead-of-afcon-2025-qf-date-with-nigeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/08\/i-like-these-kind-of-matches-algeria-coach-petkovic-confident-ahead-of-afcon-2025-qf-date-with-nigeria\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI like these kind of matches\u201d \u2013 Algeria coach Petkovic confident ahead of AFCON 2025 QF date with Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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\"Soccer<\/p>\n

Adil Boulbina celebrates Algeria goal during the Afcon 2025 match between Algeria and DR Congo. Photo by ImagoxThor Wegner\/DeFodi Images –<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Algeria head coach Vladimir Petkovic has expressed his eagerness to face Nigeria<\/a> in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u200bThe Super Eagles of Nigeria secured their spot in the quarterfinals after a dominant 4-0 victory over Mozambique on Monday.<\/a><\/p>\n

However, they had to wait until Tuesday to discover their opponents as Algeria took on DR Congo in a grueling encounter.<\/p>\n

The match pushed into extra time, but Petkovic’s men secured the win at the death, courtesy of a 117th-minute strike from Adil Boulbina.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Adil Boulbina celebrates Algeria goal during the Afcon 2025 match between Algeria and DR Congo. Photo by ImagoxThor Wegner\/DeFodi Images \u2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u200bThe stage is now set for a heavyweight quarterfinal clash between Algeria and Nigeria<\/a> at the prestigious Stade de Marrakech this Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u200bThe match promises to be one of the tournament’s most interesting encounters, as both sides have been among the best performers in Morocco.<\/p>\n

Both teams finished at the top of their respective groups and have maintained high standards throughout the competition.<\/p>\n

\u200bStatistically, this is a battle of contrasting strengths: the Super Eagles boast the tournament’s most prolific attack, having scored 12 goals in four games, while Algeria possesses the finest defense, having conceded just once so far.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Victor Osimhen celebrates goal during AFCON match between Nigeria and Tunisia on December. (Photo by: ImagoxSegun Ogunfeyitimi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u200bNigeria may hold a slight physical advantage, having played a day earlier than their opponents.<\/p>\n

Also, the Fennec Foxes’ 120-minute battle against DR Congo could impact their fitness levels heading into Saturday.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Coach Petkovic remains confident in his squad and insists they are ready to take on the Super Eagles.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Algeria players and staff celebrate historic win over DR Congo (Photo by Imago)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\u201cWe will start preparing for the match against Nigeria right now by focusing on our strengths,\u201d Petkovic said, per foot-africa<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like these kinds of matches because they demand hard work and intensity against teams that are aiming for the title.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Soccer Algeria vs Nigeria: Will Lightning Strike Again?<\/h2>\n

The last time Nigeria and Algeria met at the Africa Cup or Nations was the 2019 edition, when a late Riyah Mahrez sealed the result.<\/p>\n

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Last time we faced Algeria in 2019, Mahrez happened.<\/p>\n

The revenge is NOW, Super Eagles.#TotalEnergiesAFCON2025<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/42SQZtIVU2<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Chris Emenyonu (@Krizbaba22) January 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Both teams matched each other for quality on the night, but Mahrez’s quality made the difference in the end.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Super Eagles celebration after beating Mozambique<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, a lot has happened since then, both teams have also changed in terms of players and coaches.<\/p>\n

As it is, it is difficult to separate both teams, albeit Nigeria has the better quality players on paper. It is difficult to pinpoint who will emerge victorious, but Super Eagles fans will be hoping that their team runs out with the the win on Saturday.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"<!--Kelvin Omachonu” src=”https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240522-WA0001-150×150.jpg” height=”80″ width=”80″>\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tKelvin Omachonu\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t\t\t\tKelvin Omachonu is a professional football columnist and sports writer with over half a decade of experience covering major events and delivering captivating, analytically-driven stories.
\nA graduate of the University of Ibadan, he is fueled by a profound dedication to sports journalism and the beautiful game. His insights have previously been featured in respected outlets, including IndyPress UI, UCJ UI Newshive NG, and Sportspremi.
\nAway from work, Kelvin is an avid fan of basketball, enjoys a great movie, and is always discovering new music.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Kelvin Omachonu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer Adil Boulbina celebrates Algeria goal during the Afcon 2025 match between Algeria and DR Congo. Photo by ImagoxThor Wegner\/DeFodi Images – Algeria head coach Vladimir Petkovic has expressed his eagerness to face Nigeria in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports. \u200bThe Super Eagles of Nigeria secured their spot in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":883326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40435,26249,2005],"tags":[53067,5987],"class_list":{"0":"post-883325","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-algeria","8":"category-matches","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-algeria","11":"tag-matches"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=883325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883325\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/883326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=883325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=883325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=883325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}