Belgium look to solidify dark horse tag against Algeria

Belo Horizonte (Brazil), June 16 (IANS/EFE) Belgium will look to solidify their dark horse tag when they meet Algeria in the opening game in Group H Tuesday here at the Estadio Mineirao.

Algeria are the only Arab team in the World Cup for the second consecutive time, and will aim to qualify to the round of 16, reports EFE.

The 'Fennec Foxes', as the Algerians are known, never made it beyond group stage in their earlier participations in 1982, 1986 and 2010 World Cups.

Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic will rely on several players who ply their trade in Europe like Getafe's Mehdi Lacen, Monaco's Carl Medjani, Napoli's Faouzi Ghoulam, Inter Milan's Saphir Taider, Granada's Yacine Brahimi and Valencia's Sofiane Feghouli.

The Algerians will also hope to score, after their 2010 campaign emerged goalless. But their task will not be easy, as they meet Belgium, also known as Les Diables Rouges, who are dubbed as the competition's dark horses.

Marc Wilmots' team will want to prove a point in their opener after a 12-year-absence from the World Cup. The team of Thibaut Courtois, Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard, Axel Witsel and Romelu Lukaku were undefeated in the qualification campaign.

The two teams have met twice, with Belgium winning once while the other game ended in a draw. The other game in this group will see Russia take on South Korea.

--IANS/EFE

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