Algeria Hand Anis Hadj Moussa A Start As Togo Name Augustin Drakpe

Algeria and Togo have confirmed their starting XIs for Saturday's Africa Cup of Nations Qualification Group I fixture at the Stade Hocine Aït Ahmed, and both managers have landed on the same shape: 4-4-2.

Brahim Hemdani sends Algeria out in a 4-4-2. Patrice Neveu matches it with Togo. The mirror means the wide corridors and the second-ball contests in central midfield are the areas where the game will be decided, because neither side has a spare body in either zone.

Anis Hadj Moussa starts. Amine Gouiri starts. Achref Abada and Ahmed Touba are also in the XI. Those four names carry the attacking weight for the hosts, and Hadj Moussa's inclusion is the selection that will draw the most attention: he is the player Algeria have chosen to give the ball to in the final third.

Gouiri's role alongside him matters just as much. In a 4-4-2, the two forward positions have to combine rather than operate as separate units, and Algeria have picked two players comfortable dropping into the half-spaces to link the midfield to the attack. That is the mechanism Hemdani is betting on.

Abada and Touba give the side balance between the lines. Touba's presence in particular suggests Algeria want a defender who can step into midfield when Togo's front two press, rather than simply clearing long.

Augustin Drakpe starts for Togo. Neveu has not tried to match Algeria's individual quality with a defensive overload; he has kept the 4-4-2 and backed his players to compete in the duels that shape will produce.

That is a deliberate choice. Against a side with Algeria's attacking options, a back five or a midfield diamond would have been the cautious route. Neveu has gone the other way, which puts the onus on Togo's midfield four to screen the space in front of the defence and on Drakpe to make the ball stick when Togo break.

The risk is obvious. If Algeria's front two pin Togo's centre-backs and the wide midfielders tuck in, Togo can be stretched laterally. The reward is equally clear: two banks of four can make the pitch small and force Algeria to play around rather than through.

Both teams in 4-4-2 means the match will be decided in the wide areas and in the second balls that fall between the lines. Algeria have the more individually dangerous players in those zones. Togo have the more compact structure if they hold their shape.

Algeria lead Group I with four points from their opening two matches, one point clear of their nearest challengers. A win at the Stade Hocine Aït Ahmed would strengthen that position. Togo arrive knowing a result against the group leaders would reshape the qualification picture.

Kick-off is at 19:00 UK time. The team sheets are in. The next thing that happens is the whistle.