Saphir Taïder has been called up for Algeria’s 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Group B qualifying matches with Ethiopia and Mali over the next fortnight.
The midfielder, on loan at Southampton from Inter Milan, has been included in a 27-man squad by new national team boss Christian Gourcuff.
Taïder, who boasts 12 senior international caps, will hope to start when Algeria travel to face Mali in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa, for their group opener on Friday next week.
Algeria then host Mali four days later in Blida for a clash on Wednesday 10th September, with Malawi filling the other spot in the group and a first match with them to come in October.
The country where Taïder hails from suffered a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign in 2013 when they finished bottom of Group D with just one point.
The 22-year-old will be looking to change Algeria’s fortunes in next year’s competition after highly commendable efforts in the 2014 FIFA World Cup when he helped them to the Round of 16, where they were defeated by eventual champions Germany.
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