Algeria have suffered another setback ahead of their upcoming friendlies against Zimbabwe and Saudi Arabia, with defender Mohamed Amine Tougaï ruled out through injury.
The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) confirmed that the Espérance de Tunis centre-back will not feature in the November internationals after a medical assessment revealed a physical issue early in camp.
In a statement, the FAF said the decision was taken “in consultation with head coach Vladimir Petković” to avoid worsening the injury and to allow Tougaï to continue his recovery with his club.
His withdrawal adds to Algeria’s growing list of absentees, which already includes Ramy Bensebaïni, Farès Chaïbi, and Amine Gouiri, all sidelined for medical reasons.
The setbacks come at a difficult time for Petković, who had hoped to use the friendlies to experiment with tactics and solidify his first-choice lineup ahead of AFCON 2025 in Morocco this December.
Now faced with several enforced changes, the Bosnian coach will need to rely on his squad depth as Algeria prepare to face Zimbabwe on 13 November in Jeddah and Saudi Arabia a few days later.
Despite the injury woes, Petković insists that his remaining players remain motivated to maintain momentum heading into the continental showpiece.