Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez believes experience will be a major factor that will determine the winner of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Mahrez and his Algerian teammates are charged to improve on their group stage exit at the 2021 edition in Cameroon when they face Angola in their opening match at Stade Bouake on Monday.
The Desert Foxes are also locked against Burkina Faso and Mauritania in Group D but they are targeting an impressive fine start to boost their chances of progressing in the competition.
The Al Ahli winger admitted that luck would play a role in the 34th edition of the AFCON but teams who have participated in previous editions of the tournament stand a better chance to lift the trophy.
“Whichever country is the best prepared and enjoys a little bit of luck will go all the way. Experience is a major factor,” Mahrez told the media upon arrival in Bouake on Wednesday night.
“I and many teammates in the Algerian squad know all about the Cup of Nations. Making a good start is often crucial. We beat Kenya in our opening match in 2019 and won the tournament. We drew with Sierra Leone three years later and flopped.”
