Sunday, April 26, 2026 11:51 AM –
Jerusalem time
Swiss Vladimir Petkovic, coach of the Algerian national team, faces a difficult challenge represented by a severe numerical shortage in the goalkeeping position. This came after the second goalkeeper, Melvin Mastell, suffered a sudden setback, which coincided with a mysterious injury to the third goalkeeper, Anthony Mandria, which confused the technical calculations less than two months before the starting whistle of the 2026 World Cup finals.
Informed sources reported that the goalkeeping crisis among the ranks of the ‘Desert Warriors’ is still ongoing since the retirement of legendary goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi. Although several names were given the opportunity in the recent period, the technical staff was not completely convinced by the levels of available guards, including Luca Zidane and Alexis Kunduz, which deepened the technical gap in this sensitive position.
Under these circumstances, Petkovic decided to activate ‘Plan B’ by resorting to the Algerian local league to summon new guards capable of filling the void. Attention is currently turning to Gaia Merbah, the JS Kabylie goalkeeper, and Zakaria Bouhelfaia, from the Constantine youth team, in addition to Abdellatif Ramadan, the Mouloudia Algiers goalkeeper, as quick and reliable solutions for the next stage.
Coach Petkovic will not cry over spilled milk, and decided to activate the alternative plan, which is based on comparison between the best goalkeepers available locally.
The technical staff ruled out other options that were on the table, such as Kilian Belazouk and Abdullah Al-Eidani, due to their lack of the condition of regular participation with their European clubs. Petkovic insists on strict criteria in selecting the World Cup roster, which places physical and technical readiness at the top of priorities to ensure an honorable appearance in the upcoming global forum in North America.
It is noteworthy that the Algerian national team is continuing its intensive preparations, as it is scheduled to face the Netherlands national team in a strong friendly match early next June in the city of Rotterdam. These preparations come before the clash with the Argentine national team, the defending champion, in the opening matches of the tenth group of the World Cup, which also includes the Jordanian and Austrian national teams in a competition described as fierce.
