Algeria face Argentina as Marciniak appointment stirs old ghosts

Argentina await in Kansas City

Algeria open their World Cup campaign against the reigning champions on Tuesday, 16 June. It's the first World Cup match for Les Fennecs since 2014, and they land in a Group J opener that could hardly carry more weight. Argentina, still led by Lionel Scaloni with Emiliano Martinez in goal, will pose an immediate test of everything this Algerian side has, or lacks. Group J leaves no room for a slow start. (1) (3)

Marciniak appointed, and the memories are bad

Polish referee Szymon Marciniak will take charge of Argentina–Algeria on Tuesday. His name hits hard for Algerian fans, he was the man in the middle for some of Les Fennecs' more painful recent moments. You go into the biggest match in a decade, and the referee assignment already feels like a familiar storm cloud. (3)

Luca Zidane completes a family circle

Luca Zidane is in Algeria's World Cup squad, and when he steps onto the pitch in Kansas, he will become the first Zidane to play at a World Cup in 20 years. His grandparents are Algerian, and his selection ties a generation-spanning story together, a Zidane in green, not blue, and a quiet piece of history waiting to be written. (2)