Paynesville City- Liberia head Coach Mario Marinica has confirmed three injury concerns for the Lone Star ahead of today’s match against Algeria in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.
By Jaheim T. Tumu
However, the Romanian tactician did not mention the names of the players, who are doubtful but stated that they were being assessed by the medical staff.
“We have two to three question marks. Hopefully, the fitness person is working hard with them. The medical staff hope to have them ready by tomorrow,” he said.
Marinica’s side, unbeaten in their last five matches, salvaged a point from the match against Togo through William Gibson’s 92nd-minute header, will be in search of the first win in Group E against ‘the Algerians who secured a 2-0 victory against Equatorial Guinea.
Coach Vladimir Petkovic, who refused to address a pre-match press conference, will be without six players through injuries, including captain Riyad Mahrez. However, the Swiss tactician’s men have currently gone 15 consecutive matches without defeat in the AFCON qualifiers, picking up 11 wins and four draws since a 1-0 defeat against Benin in October 2018.
Addressing the press, despite his side’s failure to secure a win against the Algerians in the previous six meetings, Marinica said they are going to the match to get the maximum that they can get from to make Liberians proud.
“We have our game plan. “We want to make a united team and to do as much as possible to frustrate them and get the maximum we can get from the match,” he said.
He added, “No pressure and all the records are there to be beaten and to be broken. So, I don’t mind; I am 100 percent that we are going to give everything, and we are going to get as much as we can get from the match.”
He acknowledged the Algerians are a difficult team, stating that they can beat any team on the continent anytime if the match is played on the moon.
“Algeria is a fantastic team even their champ team is superb. The team is one of the best teams in Africa; they could beat any team at any time even if they played on the moon,” he stated.
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