Brahim Hemdani has named a 26-man squad for Togo without Ilan Kebbal, a starter at Paris FC, nor Rayan Aït-Nouri and Luca Zidane, with two new faces and two returns.
The 26-man squad named by Brahim Hemdani for the two matches against Togo in the CAN 2027 qualifiers includes its share of notable absentees. Ilan Kebbal, the Paris FC attacking midfielder, is not in it, according to RMC Sport, as relayed by L’Équipe. A decision that comes as a surprise given the player’s status at club level.
Kebbal, a club starter and yet absent
The Parisian is an undisputed starter in the Ligue 1 squad sitting fourth in the table. Despite that playing time, the Algeria head coach chose to do without him against Togo. A decision that cannot be explained by a lack of match rhythm, unlike other cases in the group.
Hemdani gave no specific justification on the Kebbal case in the information available. He did, however, defend his overall logic, particularly for the goalkeeper position: “I made my choices on the basis of a sporting criterion, particularly in the goalkeeper position, which is considered very specific. I needed three goalkeepers with the maximum amount of playing time.” An explanation aimed first and foremost at Luca Zidane, the Leganés goalkeeper, also absent from the list according to RMC Sport.
Aït-Nouri, the altercation in the background
Manchester City left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri is also left out. According to Sport 365, he had left the last camp after an altercation with his coach, and he has limited playing time at the Citizens. The report does not specify whether these elements weighed on Hemdani’s decision.
Houssem Aouar completes the list of absentees cited by RMC Sport and L’Équipe. The head coach was keen to leave the door open: “Nobody is permanently excluded,” he told RMC Sport. A phrase that applies to all the players not selected.
Two new faces, two returns
The list opens up to two newcomers, according to RMC Sport: Mohamed Azzi, a 24-year-old right-back playing at CSKA Moscow, and Abderrahmane Rebbach, a 28-year-old forward at Deportivo Alavés. Two profiles discovering the Algeria squad at this camp.
Hicham Boudaoui and Yacine Titraoui return after injury problems, again according to RMC Sport. Their regained availability offers Hemdani extra options for the two upcoming matches.
Algeria top their group after two matchdays, ahead of Zambia, Togo and Burundi, RMC Sport reports. The Fennecs face Togo on 14 November in Tizi Ouzou at 20:00, before the return match on 17 November in Lomé at 17:00, according to foot-africa.com.