Bensebaini and Algeria advance at Africa Cup after second win | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund will almost certainly have to do without Ramy Bensebaini for their first competitive match of the new year on January 9 at Eintracht Frankfurt. The defender won his second match at the Africa Cup of Nations with the Algerian national team on Sunday, securing a place in the round of 16 ahead of schedule.

After a 3-0 opening victory against Sudan, Algeria faced Burkina Faso on Sunday, who had defeated Equatorial Guinea 2-1 on the first matchday. Thanks to a penalty converted by Riyad Mahrez in the 23rd minute, the Algerian team won the match 1-0 and, after just two matchdays, have not only qualified for the round of 16 but have also secured first place in their group.

Round of 16 on January 6 – Opponent still unknown

The Desert Foxes will continue on January 6 at 5 p.m. against the runner-up of Group D. Before the final group stage matchday, Senegal, DR Congo, and Benin are all possible opponents.

For Algeria, the final group stage match against bottom-placed Equatorial Guinea is now little more than a glorified friendly. It is likely that coach Vladimir Petkovic will field his second string and give Bensebaini a rest. In the first two matches, the BVB professional formed an experienced central defense alongside Aissa Mandi and played his part in ensuring that no goals have been conceded in 180 minutes so far.

If Algeria are eliminated in the round of 16, Bensebaini would probably return to Dortmund at the earliest during January 7—likely too late to be included in the plans for the away match in Frankfurt.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.