Man City Star to Captain Algeria During AFCON Finals in Cameroon

• Riyad Mahrez is part of Algeria's 28-man squad that will take the trip to Cameroon for the AFCON finals
• The Man City star who was part of the team's 2019 AFCON-winning squad will captain Algeria during the Cameroon edition
• The Desert Foxes have been pooled in Group E alongside Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and Equatorial Guinea

Man City winger Riyad Mahrez has been selected to captain Algeria during the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon.

Mahrez is part of Algeria's 28-man squad named by head coach Djamel Belmadi to take part during the continental showpiece.

Incidentally, the City star is one of the 15 players from the squad who won the competition during the 2019 edition staged in Egypt.

Algeria's squad features a star-studded team, with the majority of the players plying their trade abroad.

Key among them include West Ham's Said Benrahma, Lyon's Islam Slimani, Ismael Bennacer of AC Milan, and Napoli's Adam Ounas.

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Football

The Desert Foxes have been pooled in Group E of the month-long tournament alongside Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast.

Belmadi's charges will kick off their group stage campaign against Sierra Leone on January 11 in Douala.

Algeria's full AFCON squad:

Defenders: Youcef Atal (Nice), Abdelkader Bedrane (Esperance), Houcine Benayada (Etoile Sahel), Djamel Benlamri (Qatar SC), Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Ilyes Chetti (Esperance), Reda Halaimia (Beerschot), Aissa Mandi (Villarreal), Mehdi Tahrat (Al Gharafa), Mohamed Amine Tougai (Esperance)

Midfielders: Haris Belkebla (Stade Brest), Sofiane Bendebka (Al Fateh), Ismael Bennacer (AC Milan), Yacine Brahimi (Al Rayyan), Sofiane Feghouli (Galatasaray), Adam Ounas (Napoli), Ramiz Zerrouki (Twente Enschede), Adem Zorgane (Charleroi)

Forwards: Mohamed El Amine Amoura (FC Lugano), Youcef Belaili (unattached), Said Benrahma (West Ham United), Farid Boulaya (Metz), Baghdad Bounedjah (Al Sadd), Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City), Islam Slimani (Olympique Lyonnais).

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Rugby

Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and PSG ace Idrissa Gueye also made the cut.

EPL stars Ismaila Sarr, Cheikhou Kouyate, and Leicester's Nampalys Mendy were also picked.