A surging Algeria will look to keep their perfect record at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers intact when they travel to Lome to face Togo on Monday evening.
The hosts are currently in third place in Group E of this competition, while the visitors are comfortably sat atop the standings with a five-point buffer over second-placed Equatorial Guinea.
Match preview
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It has been an odd year for Algerian football, as they failed to win a match in a second consecutive AFCON competition, but their performances on either side of the tournament in the Ivory Coast have been excellent.
In World Cup qualifying, Les Fennecs are leading their group with three wins in four games, and in this competition, they require just one more victory to book their spot in the next edition of the AFCON in Morocco.
The Desert Warriors got themselves into this strong position with an excellent second-half performance last week, when they scored four goals in just over 30 minutes to hand Togo a 5-1 thrashing in their backyards.
With that result, the Greens are now on a four-match winning streak, and the 10 goals they have scored over the three matches in this competition is the most of any of the 48 participating nations.
Last week's victory over Togo also marked their third win in succession over Les Eperviers and fourth match unbeaten, which sees them enter this contest as massive favourites to secure their qualification this week.
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Meanwhile, the hosts' hopes of qualifying for AFCON 2025 are now hanging by a thread. If they lose this week and Equatorial Guinea secure another win over Liberia, Togo will need to win both of their final two qualifiers to stand a chance of finishing second in the group.
The Sparrowhawks' two points in this competition came via a 1-1 draw with Liberia on opening day followed by a 2-2 draw against the National Thunder on matchday two, and last week's defeat means they have now failed to win any of their last six matches across all competitions.
Indeed, the last time the side won a match was under the guidance of Jonas Komla, while his successor Dare Nibombe has yet to earn his first victory since taking charge ahead of the last international break.
The one positive for Togo, though, is that they have been a tough side to beat at home, unbeaten in their last 13 matches in all competitions, during which they held the likes of Senegal and Burkina Faso to draws while notching up victories over Lesotho and Cape Verde.
Team News
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FC Luzern forward Thibault Klidje scored Togo's only goal last week and should keep his spot in the number 10 role behind Cercle Brugge striker Kevin Denkey in this match.
After that very poor defensive showing last time out, Nibombe may consider making changes in his backline, which could see Bastia defender Gustave Akueson brought in, potentially for Alaixys Romao.
Said Benrahma and Houssem Aouar looked excellent in attack for Algeria in the last match, and will almost certainly start in midfield alongside Feyenoord midfielder Ramiz Zerrouki.
Team captain Riyad Mahrez is expected to make his 96th appearance for the Greens on Monday, which will put him just five behind the Desert Warriors' most-capped player Islam Slimani.
Togo possible starting lineup:
Barcola; Akueson, Djene, Ouattara, Mawuena; Dermane, Aholou; Aziangbe, Klidje, Narey; Denkey
Algeria possible starting lineup:
Guendouz; Mandi, Tougai, Touba, Farsi; Mahrez, Zerrouki, Gouiri, Benrahma; Aouar; Maza
We say: Togo 1-2 Algeria
Togo were shockingly poor in the last match. In fact, to find the last time they conceded five goals in a match, you would have to go all the way back to a 2009 defeat against Bahrain.
That said, we are not suggesting that the hosts are likely to go on to win this match, but we do feel they will keep the scoreline more respectable in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
