Jordan and Algeria will both be searching for their first victory in Group J when they meet at Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area on Monday night, with early tournament pressure already building on both sides.
Debutants Jordan showed flashes of promise in their opening 3-1 defeat to Austria, while Algeria were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Argentina, leaving both nations needing a response to avoid falling further behind in the group race.
Match Preview
Jordan’s first-ever World Cup appearance ended in disappointment on the scoreboard, but not entirely in performance, as Jamal Sellami’s side remained competitive against Austria until deep into stoppage time before conceding twice late on.
That resilience will give Al Nashama encouragement heading into this fixture, particularly after Ali Olwan made history by scoring Jordan’s first-ever World Cup goal. However, defensive issues remain a major concern, with Jordan now without a clean sheet in six matches and having conceded at least twice in each of their last four.
Algeria, meanwhile, are also looking to bounce back after a difficult return to the World Cup stage. Vladimir Petković’s side struggled to cope with Argentina’s quality in a 3-0 defeat, with defensive errors compounding a frustrating night for the Fennecs.
Despite that setback, Algeria remain one of the more experienced African sides in the competition, having reached the Round of 16 in 2014, and they will see this as a crucial opportunity to get their campaign back on track.
A victory here would significantly boost Algeria’s chances of progressing, especially with their final Group J fixture still to come against Austria.
Jordan, however, know that defeat combined with other results could leave them on the brink of elimination after just two games in their debut tournament.
Form Guide
Jordan World Cup form:
L
Jordan form (all competitions):
L D D L L L
Algeria World Cup form:
L
Algeria form (all competitions):
L W D W W L
Team News
Jordan could be forced into a defensive adjustment after Abdallah Nasib picked up a suspected injury in the opening match. Ali Olwan, scorer of their historic first World Cup goal, is expected to lead the line once again alongside Musa Al-Taamari, the team’s most creative attacking threat.
In midfield and defence, Sellami is likely to stick with his core structure, relying heavily on the energy and work rate that kept them competitive against Austria.
For Algeria, head coach Vladimir Petković may consider tactical changes after the loss to Argentina. Mohamed Amoura, who was surprisingly benched for much of the opener despite his prolific qualifying form, is expected to return to the starting XI.
Riyad Mahrez could also be recalled in a reshuffled attack, while Aïssa Mandi and Ramy Bensebaini are set to anchor the backline again after a tough outing against the world champions.
Predicted Lineups
Jordan possible XI:
Abu Laila; Al-Rousan, Al-Arab, Abualnadi; Haddad, Al-Rashdan, Al-Rawabdeh, Abu Taha; Fakhoury, Olwan; Al-Taamari
Algeria possible XI:
Zidane; Belghali, Mandi, Bensebaini, Aït-Nouri; Boudaoui, Zerrouki, Bentaleb; Mahrez, Amoura, Maza
Prediction
Jordan’s debut spirit has been encouraging, but defensive frailties continue to cost them at this level. Algeria, despite their opening defeat, still possess significantly more individual quality in attack and midfield.
If Petković’s side click in the final third, they should have enough to take control of the game and revive their qualification hopes.
We say: Jordan 1-3 Algeria
