AN IN-FORM Algeria, who have set their sights on reaching at least the semifinals of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, will provide Bafana Bafana with the sternest possible test in the two teams' final warm-up for the tournament at Orlando Stadium tomorrow night.
The Fennec Foxes' form in 2012 - winning six of eight games - is reflected in their second-placed ranking in Africa, and 19th in the world.
After a disappointing World Cup in South Africa in 2010, finishing last from a group that included US, England and Slovenia, Franco-Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic has rebuilt the north Africans since taking over as coach in June 2011.
The 1980s Nantes and Paris St Germain star has swept out some of the old guard and continued that trend when he excluded captain Madjid Bougherra of Algerian club Lekhwiya from his squad, after the former Rangers defender recently returned from long-term injury.
If it's a morale-boosting victory that Bafana are seeking just one week ahead of the opening Afcon game against Cape Verde at the National Stadium on January 19, then it will have been hard-earned against a dangerous Algeria.
Club Africain defensive midfielder Kaled Lemmouchia is full of praise for the turnaround engineered by Halilhodzic.
"We've been working really well for the past 14 months," the player said. "We've got a good, honest, young group, we've made progress and we really, really want to succeed. I experienced what it was like in the pre-Halilhodzic era and I can tell you that we've certainly made great strides in terms of pre-match preparation and training. He's a strict, demanding coach and to be perfectly honest, that suits the entire group down to the ground. He's changed people's mindsets: both the players and the administrators know that."
The Algerian FA's faith in its coach is reflected by its pledge that his job will be safe even if the Foxes fail to get past their group of death, which also includes Ivory Coast, Tunisia and Togo.
Two young stars to look out for at the Afcon will be St Etienne left-back Farouzi Ghoulam and Valencia winger Sofiane Feghoudi.
Bafana coach Gordon Igesund will look for a significant improvement from his side's 1-0 defeat against a young Norway in Cape Town on Tuesday night.
Again, goalscoring was the South Africans' downfall. Striker Katlego Mphela, who recently returned from a lengthy injury, looked decidedly rusty and will benefit from more game time. In his substitute appearance, Thulani Serero showed electric pace and skill.
Igesund is likely to continue to wrap his still not 100% fit potential match-winner in cottonwool and field him from the bench again.
Bafana captain Bongani Khumalo appealed for patience from the South African public.
"We will have to keep working hard, but there were lots of positives in this game (against Norway), like the way we moved the ball. We played a good brand of football but maybe at times we should get more ugly in the box and gamble. But these are the things we will work on," the PAOK defender said.
No easy task for Bafana
AN IN-FORM Algeria, who have set their sights on reaching at least the semifinals of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, will provide Bafana Bafana with the sternest possible test in the two teams' final warm-up for the tournament at Orlando Stadium tomorrow night.
The Fennec Foxes' form in 2012 - winning six of eight games - is reflected in their second-placed ranking in Africa, and 19th in the world.
After a disappointing World Cup in South Africa in 2010, finishing last from a group that included US, England and Slovenia, Franco-Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic has rebuilt the north Africans since taking over as coach in June 2011.
The 1980s Nantes and Paris St Germain star has swept out some of the old guard and continued that trend when he excluded captain Madjid Bougherra of Algerian club Lekhwiya from his squad, after the former Rangers defender recently returned from long-term injury.
If it's a morale-boosting victory that Bafana are seeking just one week ahead of the opening Afcon game against Cape Verde at the National Stadium on January 19, then it will have been hard-earned against a dangerous Algeria.
Club Africain defensive midfielder Kaled Lemmouchia is full of praise for the turnaround engineered by Halilhodzic.
"We've been working really well for the past 14 months," the player said. "We've got a good, honest, young group, we've made progress and we really, really want to succeed. I experienced what it was like in the pre-Halilhodzic era and I can tell you that we've certainly made great strides in terms of pre-match preparation and training. He's a strict, demanding coach and to be perfectly honest, that suits the entire group down to the ground. He's changed people's mindsets: both the players and the administrators know that."
The Algerian FA's faith in its coach is reflected by its pledge that his job will be safe even if the Foxes fail to get past their group of death, which also includes Ivory Coast, Tunisia and Togo.
Two young stars to look out for at the Afcon will be St Etienne left-back Farouzi Ghoulam and Valencia winger Sofiane Feghoudi.
Bafana coach Gordon Igesund will look for a significant improvement from his side's 1-0 defeat against a young Norway in Cape Town on Tuesday night.
Again, goalscoring was the South Africans' downfall. Striker Katlego Mphela, who recently returned from a lengthy injury, looked decidedly rusty and will benefit from more game time. In his substitute appearance, Thulani Serero showed electric pace and skill.
Igesund is likely to continue to wrap his still not 100% fit potential match-winner in cottonwool and field him from the bench again.
Bafana captain Bongani Khumalo appealed for patience from the South African public.
"We will have to keep working hard, but there were lots of positives in this game (against Norway), like the way we moved the ball. We played a good brand of football but maybe at times we should get more ugly in the box and gamble. But these are the things we will work on," the PAOK defender said.
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