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What did he say?
Ahead of the crucial Algeria-Austria clash at the end of the 2026 World Cup group stage, Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic has stressed that his team will only go into the game with a winning mentality, denying any intention of playing a “result-deciding” game similar to the famous Germany-Austria match 19 years later.
At Petkovic’s press conference on Friday evening, Petkovic said that Algeria “will only depend on themselves to secure qualification”, adding: “We have to win to avoid the preliminaries. We will play in our usual style without thinking about Spain and we will do everything to beat Austria.”
Petkovic explained that the team is “physically and mentally ready to play the match”, noting that the players have “played two good matches so far” and that he is looking forward to them “confirming the progress they have made”.
He added: “Tomorrow we have to go out on the field with the ambition to score a goal and win, we want to advance as far as possible in the tournament.”
The Algerian coach concluded his remarks by stressing that the tournament “does not recognize big names”, saying: “On paper, there are very strong teams, but everything is possible. Even after a difficult start against stronger opponents, nothing is decided yet.”
