Algeria defender Rayan Ait-Nouri has acknowledged the tough challenge his side faces when they meet Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals, stressing that no games are easy at this stage of the competition.
Algeria, who impressed with a strong performance in this year's tournament, will have a mountain to climb on Saturday when they face Nigeria in the quarterfinals.
The 2019 champions in Cairo, failed to progress beyond the group stage in both 2021 and 2023.
However, this time they reached the quarters with a perfect record of four wins from four matches.
Nigeria, similarly, had a flawless run, winning all their group games to join Algeria as the only teams to achieve a 100% record.
“The game will be very tough,” Ait-Nouri told reporters on Thursday.
“We know Nigeria is a very difficult opponent, and we will have to be ready for this tough clash. Generally, there are no easy games at this stage.”
The Manchester City defender also expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance in their round-of-16 victory over DR Congo, despite a last-minute win.
Substitute striker Adel Boulbina scored a dramatic 119th-minute winner to send Algeria through with a 1-0 victory.
Meanwhile, Nigeria registered the biggest win of the competition so far, thrashing Mozambique 4-0 to secure their spot in the quarters.
“I’m very satisfied with our win over DR Congo,” Ait-Nouri said. “It doesn’t matter how you qualify, what’s important is qualifying. We knew the game would be tough because DR Congo has many good players, but we managed to win, and I’m very happy.”
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