With Rayan Aït-Nouri at odds with the staff and Jaouen Hadjam playing little at Brighton, head coach Brahim Hemdani is looking for a solution at left-back before the two matches against Togo.
Since Brahim Hemdani’s first squad gathering, the left-back position has been an open building site for the Fennecs. According to Afrik-Foot, the competition has yet to be settled, a few weeks before a double header that weighs heavily in the race for AFCON 2027.
The two natural candidates are in very different situations, however. Rayan Aït-Nouri is highly likely to be left out of the next squad list, while Jaouen Hadjam, a starter during the last international break, has played only 11 minutes of league football since the end of it. The competition therefore remains open.
Aït-Nouri, a return that is taking its time
According to Afrik-Foot, the Rayan Aït-Nouri case is the trickiest to settle. The left-back was sent home from the squad after a clash with the head coach. He did not come on against Zambia on 25 September (3-1 win).
The player is reluctant to apologise to the staff, which makes his exclusion “highly likely”, according to the same source. For now, it is only a probability.
Hadjam, a starter for the Fennecs, little used at Brighton
Jaouen Hadjam took on the role of undisputed starter throughout the last international break. Handed a start for the full match against Burundi (2-2, 29 September), he seemed to struggle physically, Afrik-Foot reports.
He was then replaced by defender Ramy Bensebaïni against Niger on 6 October, in a 2-1 friendly win.
Since the end of the break, the Brighton full-back has played only 11 minutes of league football, according to the same source.
Benaïssa-Yahia, the option on the rise
Fahed Benaïssa-Yahia (24, Montova) is on the expanded list, according to El Heddaf TV, a report carried by Afrik-Foot that remains to be confirmed. A wing-back or full-back, he could offer another option on the left flank.
At Montova, he is undroppable for the Virgiliani: 11 appearances and as many starts, with 1 goal and 1 assist to his name.
It remains to be seen whether the staff will move from deliberation to calling him up. The Fennecs top their group with a one-point lead over Zambia. The schedule is as follows: Algeria-Togo on 14 November in Tizi Ouzou, then Togo-Algeria on 17 November in Lomé, for matchdays 3 and 4 of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers.