CAIRO: Cairo Stadium will not be intimidating for Algerian Karim Ziani when his country faces Egypt in a crucial World Cup qualifier on Nov. 14, the Wolfsburg playmaker said.
The Algerians are expected to play in front of a sell-out crowd at the 74,100-seat stadium where a draw or even a defeat by a one-goal margin would give them a place at next year s South Africa finals.
I don t fear the pressure, Ziani, who should be fit for the anticipated tie after shaking off a thigh injury, told Algerian paper Echorouk on Tuesday.
The crowd chants never affect me. I turn a blind eye towards what happens in the stands once I step onto the pitch.
Egyptian fans launched a campaign on social networking website Facebook to urge women not to attend the game, because they neither roar nor hurl insults at opposition .
TV presenters called on the supporters to keep cheering for the Pharaohs throughout the game instead of remaining silent when their team struggles to break down opposition.
A player who played at (Marseille stadium) the Velodrome should never fear any pressure from the fans, Ziani, who spent two years at the French side before joining Germany s Wolfsburg in the close season, said.
Any Algerian supporter or a player who fears the fans pressure should stay at home; football is for men.
Egypt need to beat their North African rivals by a three-goal margin to qualify directly for the World Cup for the first time since 1990.
A victory by a two-goal margin will set up a playoff against Algeria on a neutral venue.
We have a three-point and a two-goal advantage over Egypt; we are the favorites, Ziani said.
