The Algerian Football Federation reported on Wednesday that Luca Zidane, goalkeeper of the Spanish club Granada, has left the 'Greens' camp in the Saudi city of Jeddah due to a hamstring injury. The Federation revealed on its official website that Vladimir Petkovic, coach of the Algerian national team, has called up Zakaria Bouhalifa, goalkeeper of CS Constantine, to replace Zidan. He joins Ramy Ben Sabah, Fares Chaibi, and Mohamed Ameine Toudjay, who will also miss the Jeddah camp due to injuries. Meanwhile, newspaper 'Al Khabar' reported that team captain Riyad Mahrez was delayed in joining his country's camp in Jeddah due to a happy family event — the birth of his new son. This will be Mahrez's fourth child after three daughters from two marriages. The newspaper stated that Petkovic granted Mahrez special permission to stay with his family, causing him to miss the first two training sessions since arriving in Jeddah. The source suggests Mahrez will be absent from the friendly match against Zimbabwe scheduled for Thursday but will be present for the match against Saudi Arabia next Tuesday. The Algerian national team, which recently qualified for the 2026 World Cup finals in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, is preparing to participate in next month's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where they dream of winning the title for the third time after triumphs in 1990 and 2019. The Algerian team was drawn into Group D, which also includes Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, and Sudan.
