Algeria vs Sierra Leone AFCON 2022: This afternoon, Algeria will face Sierra Leone in Douala to start their AFCON 2022 campaign. There is a definite magic-of-the-cup vibe to today’s first match, which pits the defending champions and second favorites Algeria against a Sierra Leone team that hasn’t made the final of this tournament since 1996. Western metrics suggest that 16 of Algeria’s squad play in Europe, among them Ryad Mahrez, Ismaël Bennecer, Saïd Benrahama and Islam Slimani, whereas Sierra Leone has 10 players in Europe, among them Wealdstone’s David Sesay, QPR’s Osman Kekay and Gaziantep’s Steven Caulker, and former QPR, Cardiff and Spurs star. (Caulker is an interesting and admirable character who has struggled with addiction and mental health issues in the past. He shared some interesting experiences in Turkey and dealing with the pandemic when we caught up with him in 2020.)
It appears Algeria will extend its unbeaten run, which dates back to 2018, this afternoon. In addition, they come to the tournament fresh off their win at the Arab Cup last month and a warm-up win over Ghana. Apart from Mahrez, Bennaci and Youcef Belaïli can make things happen for them, and Sierra Leone should benefit greatly from their efforts. Even so, the World Cup is often a tight competition, and as Senegal showed yesterday with its last-gasp victory over Zimbabwe, little is guaranteed. So far, there has only been one goal between the sides in every game, and tournament football tends to level the playing field. Sierra Leone have only played two games in the last six months (a draw with Ethiopia and a loss to Comoros) due to Fifa sanctions related to crowd trouble and government interference. Kei Kamara is a goal short of the record for goals scored in the country, which is held by Mohamed Kallon.
A brand new $232m stadium in Douala, the 50,000-capacity Japoma Stadium, will host today’s match. The stadium needs to fill up today.
Algeria vs Sierra Leone Match details
Match: Algeria vs Sierra Leone AFCON 2022
Date & Time: January 11, 2022 on Tuesday. (1:00 PM GMT)
Venue: Japoma Stadium in Douala
AFCON 2022: Algeria vs Sierra Leone Playing XIs
Algeria Playing XI: Raïs M’Bolhi, Atal, Mandi, Abdelkader Bedrane, Ramy Bensebaini, Haris Belkebla, Yacine Brahimi, Sofiane Feghouli, Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani, M.Belaïli
Sierra Leone Playing XI: Mohammed Kamara, Zangalay, K.Wright, Steven Caulker, John Kamara, Kei Kamara, Kwame Quee, Mustapha Bundu, Mohamed Buya Turay, Aboubakar Kamara
Algeria vs Sierra Leone Team Squads
Algeria Team: M’Bolhi, Attal, Mandi, Bedrane, Bensebaini, Mahrez, Belkebla, Belaili, Brahimi, Slimani, Feghouli.
Algeria Subs: Tougai, Bounedjah, Boulaya, Benlamri, Bendebka, Oukidja, Zorgane, Chetti, Benayada, Amoura, Benrahma, Halaimia.
Sierra Leone Team: Mohamed Kamara, Kakay, Steven Caulker, Bangura, Wright, Quee, John Kamara, Bundu, Kei Kamara, Turay, Alhaji Kamara.
Algeria Subs: Fofanah, Medo Kamara, Williams, Dunia, KaiKai, Ibrahim Sesay, Idris Kanu, Mansaray, Kallon, Abu Dumbuya, Isaac Caulker, Musa Kamara.
Where to watch Algeria vs Sierra Leone
- Live stream: The Sky Go app will allow Sky Sports subscribers to watch the match online.
- Live blog: The LIVE blog at Standard Sport provides up-to-the-minute updates throughout the match.
- TV channel: Sky Sports Premier League and Football will broadcast the match, starting at 12.55pm.
