Remmane hopes the ‘gods of Constantine’ will smile on Algeria again

The city of Constantine holds a special place in Algerian football history. In this city, in 1982, Algeria achieved its first ever qualification to the FIFA World Cup when they beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final round.
And, 41 years later, their Under-17 team will be stepping onto the same pitch, also in search of a qualification to the FIFA World Cup, when they take on North African rivals Morocco in the quarter finals of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The winner of this duel, not only makes the semi-finals, but earns one of four slots accorded to Africa for this year’s U17 FIFA World Cup.
Algeria are seeking their second qualification to the global showpiece, having done so in 2009, also when they hosted the U17 tournament.
“Constantine has a special place in Algerian football history and not just for the national team but for the clubs as well. So many special things have been accomplished here and we hope it is going to be the same for us. We hope for that bit of luck as well, as we also do our bit on the pitch and hopefully we can qualify,” said Algeria’s coach Arezki Remmane, who was nine years old then, and watched the game from a Cinema hall.
The tactician also expects a full stadium for the 8pm local time kick off and says the presence of a strong 12th man will be the extra push they need to complete the job.
“The people of Constantine love football and always support the national teams no matter the age. It is an important element for us and hopefully with their support we can achieve a good result.”
Remmane has meanwhile moved to ease pressure on the shoulders of his players, saying the match will be just like any other despite the hype and banter that is already flying around, this being a North African affair.
He believes the team should prepare just like as they did their three previous group stage matches both tactically and physically.
“These are two teams which know each other well, the players know each other too and it will be an interesting match. The biggest preparation for us is psychological because these young players do not have the same mental strength as the senior players. We will support them and try get them ready for the match,” the coach offered.
Meanwhile, skipper Moselm Anatouf believes the presence of a huge number of fans in Constantine will be a motivation for them to go for a win against Morocco.
“We know there is a lot of expectation on us, but we don’t take it as negative pressure. It is positive pressure. We are happy that the team is loved and supported by the people of Algeria and that will make us more confident to go into the match and represent the country well,” noted the forward, who has so far scored three goals in the competition.
Algeria and Morocco met just last year in the final of the Arab Cup, with Algeria winning the title on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
However, both coach Remmane and skipper Anatouf believe it will be a different ballgame altogether, and are expecting a tougher duel.