Abdelli forced off injured on Algeria duty as Marseille’s list grows

Himad Abdelli went off injured on Tuesday against Burundi, in qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Starting in midfield, the Marseille player made way moments before half-time after a tackle that was “a little too forceful, but not punished by the referee”, RMC Sport reports. Coach Brahim Hemdani sent on Adem Zorgane of Union Saint-Gilloise.

The 26-year-old attacking midfielder collapsed, writhed in pain, then limped back to the dressing room supported by the Algeria staff. “The player screamed in pain and grimaced seriously as he left the pitch, supported by two members of the medical team”, writes Aurélien Léger-Moëc for Foot Mercato. When Foot Mercato published, Burundi led 2-1: Algeria were having a bad evening of their own.

Two Marseille players hurt in one break

Abdelli is the second Marseille man to go down in Algerian colours during this break, after Amine Gouiri came off in the first match, against Zambia. Add Derek Cornelius, out for several months with a hip injury, and Marseille head into the restart with a crowded treatment room.

The schedule offers no breather: Algeria play Niger in a friendly on 6 October, then Marseille face Troyes and Angers in Ligue 1. RMC Sport expects Algeria to take on Niger “probably without Himad Abdelli”, in “matches for which, barring a good surprise, Himad Abdelli will not be at 100%”.

No timeline on the injury yet

Nothing has been quantified: the exact minute of his withdrawal, the nature of the damage, the length of the absence. The Algeria staff examined the left ankle at the side of the pitch and said nothing straight away. “All that remains is to establish how long the attacking midfielder will be out”, RMC Sport sums up.