Algeria coach Rabah Saadane has warned his players they face World Cup humiliation at the hands of England if they do not pull up their socks.
The North African side were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by the Republic of Ireland - who will not be in South Africa - at Dublin's RDS on Friday night, just three weeks before they are due to meet Fabio Capello's men in Cape Town.
Ireland, of course, missed out on the finals as a result of their controversial play-off exit at the hands of Thierry Henry's France, and Saadane admitted Giovanni Trapattoni's men should be on the evidence of their latest performance.
He said: "Ireland are a formidable team - they were superior to us and deserve a place in the World Cup.
"But England will be a tougher team than the one we faced tonight. They are one of my favourites to reach the final."
Capello's assistant Franco Baldini was in Dublin to see the Republic end their season with a second victory over World Cup-bound opponents in four days.
Trapattoni, who had drummed into his players for the last week that the two games were all about preparing for the forthcoming Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, was delighted with their response.
He said: "If we play like we did against Paraguay and Algeria, I think we must achieve qualification for the European Championships."
Algeria on the other hand, have more work ahead if they have any intensions of making it out of a group which includes England, South Korea and Slovenia as re-echoed by their coach, Rabah Saadane. |
