England v Algeria: match preview

Group C
England v Algeria
Green Point Stadium, Cape Town
Kick-off: Fri June 18, 7.30pm BST
TV: ITV 7pm, ITV HD 7pm

No room for error for England in Cape Town. The Algerians offered little in their 1-0 defeat against Slovenia and looked even worse when losing a friendly against Ireland in Dublin last month.

But with the Slovenians lying in wait in Port Elizabeth next midweek, England must record a victory in Cape Town, otherwise a possible last 16 clash against Germany could zoom into focus.
Algeria goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi is a doubt with a knee injury, while striker Abdelkader Ghezzal is banned due to a red card against Slovenia. Fabio Capello faces big decisions on his goalkeeper and a partner for Wayne Rooney. Ledley King’s knee injury rules him out.
Touchline duel
Fabio Capello v Rabah Saadane: Saadane, in his fifth spell as Algeria coach, was at the helm when the Desert Foxes defeated Germany in the 1982 World Cup, but repeating that feat against England and Capello would top even that shock result.
Capello will note Saadane’s success in overcoming African champions Egypt in the play-offs, but the pressure is on the Italian to deliver. Failure to do so against Algeria will putgland’s qualification prospects in jeopardy.
Talking tactics
Algeria’s 3-0 friendly defeat against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin last month highlighted a glaring weakness in the Desert Foxes ability to cope with crosses into the penalty area.
The centre-half Rafik Halliche also displayed a reckless nature by diving into tackles, so England should profit from the north Africans’ defensive frailties.
Key clash
Gareth Barry v Karim Ziani: Barry’s return from an ankle lay-off is well-timed, with Algeria’s playmaker Karim Ziani the one player who has the ability to trouble England.
The Wolfsburg midfielder will play just behind the front two, so Barry will be expected to stifle his creative talents while also providing protection for England’s flat-footed centre-back pairing of John Terry and Jamie Carragher.
Whether Barry is fully-fit remains open to debate with the Manchester City midfielder sidelined for six weeks with damaged ankle ligaments.
What they say
Fabio Capello: "In the second half of our first game, we finished better than the US and were able to run a lot. This usually happens with us as the other teams suffer because of the running. For this reason I'm really relaxed about this game."
Rabah Saadane: "England is one of the biggest teams in the tournament. My players will not need any other motivation than they are playing against England. If my team plays against Brazil or England it is a big motivation for them."
Teams
England (4-1-3-2): Green (12); Johnson (2), Carragher (18), Terry (6), A Cole (3); Barry (14); Lennon (7), Lampard (8), Gerrard (4); Rooney (10), Defoe (19)
Subs: James (g), Hart (g), Upson, Dawson, Warnock, J Cole, Milner, Wright-Phillips, Carrick, Heskey, Crouch.
Algeria: (4-3-1-2): Mbolhi (23); Guedioura (17), Bougherra (2), Halliche (5), Yahia (4); Mansouri (6), Lacen (8), Belhadj (3); Ziani (15); Djebbour (11), Yebda (19).
Subs: Gaouaoui (g), Matmour, Kadir, Boudebouz, Saifi, Bellaid, Laffaoui, Medjani, Mesbah, Abdoun.
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
Previous meetings
None
Fact: England have not failed to score in their group since 2002 against Nigeria.
Prediction: Nothing short of a win will be tolerated and England will get it.