Angola coach rejects draw option against Algeria

Angola coach Manuel Jose made a promise here Sunday that his Africa Cup of Nations’ hosts were out to beat Algeria in Monday’s decisive Group A game.

Angola top the table and need only a draw against the World Cup qualifiers from North Africa to secure a place in the quarter finals.

But Jose is intent on finishing the first round as group leaders to ensure they stay in Luanda, rather than having to travel to Cabinda where the runners-up will play their quarter-final.

“We must win to be able to stay here,” the Portuguese told a press conference at the Black Antelope’s swish seaside hotel, the Calor Tropical.

“We may only need one point from Monday’s game but it’s going to be a hard point to earn, not an easy one, against a team that need victory and want to prove themselves against us.

“Algeria have qualified for the World Cup, and it was a big surprise when they lost 3-0 to Malawi. But they then came out and beat Mali, a team full of stars, 1-0.

“Algeria want this qualification badly, they want to show that their performance against Malawi was not their true level.”

He added: “If we have to go to Cabinda I’m sure all the people up there will come out and support us, and after all we will still be playing at home, in Angola.”

Jose refused to be drawn on the state of fitness of several of his key players – like three time goalscorer Flavio, Gilberto, and Zuela.

“We still have 24 hours, we’ll assess their condition and have to wait and see.”

The former Al-Ahly manager, in response to an Algerian journalist who suggested that despite the odds stacked up against her country “she wanted to dream that Algeria could beat Angola,” replied: “I don’t want you to dream, I want my dream to come true.”

Turning to Algeria’s reputation as a physically tough, technically solid team adept at set pieces he said: “Yes they are good on set pieces but we are prepared for that.

“They are aggressive too and have good ball control but we know how we can stop them. We are not a big team in terms of star players like them but we know how to play good football and we are also good at set pieces.

“What we plan to do is impose our style on the game, we are going to do everything possible to achieve victory and qualify.”

Jose, who picked out champions Egypt as the team that had most impressed him in the first week of competition, then gave way to Kali, the team captain, who confirmed the mood in the home camp was high.

“We are top of our group, we are concentrated and we are prepared.

“If any player can’t make it because of injury we have other players who can fill their places.”

Both Angola and Algeria were due to hold private training sessions later in Luanda ahead of the game at the 11 November stadium where a partisan 50,000 crowd will gather to spur on the hosts.

Algeria will be without Strasbourg midfielder Yassine Bezzaz, who has a knee problem, and there are question marks over the fitness of Rafik Saifi (ankle) and Blackpool strike Hamer Bouazza (back).

Mali meet Malawi in Group A’s other game in Cabinda with both games kicking off at the same time. The group is wide open with any two of the quartet still in with a chance of making it into the last eight.