A month after his first cap, Sohaib Naïr, the AS Saint-Étienne centre-back, is among the 26 players called up by head coach Brahim Hemdani to face Togo. At the Verts, though, a supporters’ poll is going against him.
The call-up was announced by AS Saint-Étienne: Sohaib Naïr is one of the 26 players selected by Brahim Hemdani, Algeria’s head coach, for the double-header against Togo. The Verts centre-back is therefore back with the Fennecs just a month after first breaking into the national team.
The schedule is set: Algeria will meet on 14 November in Tizi Ouzou for the first leg, before travelling to Lomé on 17 November. In this squad, Naïr is one of six players plying their trade in Ligue 1, according to MadeInSaintÉtienne.
One cap and already a return
Things are moving fast for Naïr. His first cap with the Fennecs came a month ago, according to AS Saint-Étienne, and here is another call-up already. That sequence would seem to reflect the head coach’s trust, although the player’s status in the Algeria starting XI is not specified.
The call-up comes in a squad that includes six Ligue 1 players in total, according to MadeInSaintÉtienne. For a player who has only just opened his caps account, being part of this group is already noteworthy.
A poll that doesn’t speak for everyone
In Saint-Étienne, the player’s news is not limited to the national team. A poll by But! Football Club indicates that 56.9% of ASSE supporters no longer want to see Naïr start in central defence before the visit of Laval. The figure is circulating a few days before the match, with no indication of how much weight the Saint-Étienne staff give it.
It should be remembered, however: this is a supporters’ vote, not an official club position. No statement from the staff or the board on the matter appears in our sources. The But! poll measures the mood of part of the fanbase, nothing more.
Nor is there anything to suggest Naïr will be denied playing time against Laval, or that he will start against Togo.
Two fixtures for one player
The run-in looks busy. AS Saint-Étienne host Laval on Saturday 7 November at Geoffroy-Guichard, according to ICI, before Naïr joins up with the Algeria national team. The centre-back could therefore play one league match and then two internationals in the space of about ten days.
For Algeria, this double-header marks the November international break, with the first leg in Tizi Ouzou on 14 November and the return in Lomé on 17 November. Naïr is in the squad alongside five other Ligue 1 players.
It remains to be seen how the Saint-Étienne staff will manage the week leading up to the visit of Laval. ASSE’s announcement does not specify the starting XI that will line up on Saturday.