Madjid Bougherra unlikely to be risked against Kilmarnock

Published on Tuesday 17 November 2009 21:49

RANGERS manager Walter Smith admits Madjid Bougherra is a major doubt for Saturday's clash against Kilmarnock after Algeria were forced into a World Cup play-off.

The defender faces a qualification decider against arch-rivals Egypt in Sudan tonight after his country lost 2-0 in Cairo on Saturday. Emad Moteab headed home Egypt's crucial second goal five minutes into injury-time to leave both countries with identical records at the top of Group C in the African qualifying tournament.

Bougherra played the full 90 minutes on his first appearance since an international against Rwanda on 11 October. The 27-year-old has not played for Rangers since the 4-1 defeat by Sevilla on 29 September. He missed the 2-1 victory over Celtic and had to sit out another win at St Johnstone when he returned late from international duty after his passport was stolen.

Bougherra then suffered a knee injury in training and missed his club's subsequent five matches. The former Charlton defender is now not due back to Murray Park until Friday and Smith admits the Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash with Kilmarnock at Ibrox may come too soon.

"It's one of those things we could have been doing without, and I dare say Madjid could be doing without it as well," Smith said of the play-off. "I haven't heard yet how he has got through the game or if his injury has caused him any problems.

"We'll obviously have to see how he is, considering the fact he'll have been away nearly a fortnight. He has not played for two or three weeks prior to that. So, having two games in such a short space of time, having not played much, it might be asking a bit much of him to be involved in Saturday's game."

Meanwhile, Bougherra claims Algeria's players are fully fit and "ready for the war" with Egypt in neutral Sudan as the two teams chase the final African place in the 2010 World Cup After their last match was marred by violence on Saturday in Cairo and with thousands of fans flying in from Algeria and Egypt to see today's match, a massive security operation has been mounted in Khartoum with 15,000 police on the streets.

"The full team is ready... for the war," said Bougherra while laughing. "Every player is okay."

Three Algerian players suffered facial cuts when their bus was stoned on their arrival in Cairo last week. Attacks on Algerian supporters after Saturday's match left 20 injured and Egyptian businesses suffered extensive damage when vandalised in Algiers on Sunday. There was also rioting in Marseille, where French youths of Algerian origin went on the rampage.

"Some people had mental (problems), it was very rough, we were afraid – some people were injured," said Bougherra. But he said the 9,000 fans due to arrive from Algeria had given them the confidence boost they needed. "We are confident, we feel comfortable – all recovered," he added.

&#149 Rangers played a closed-doors game against Dundee United yesterday but Kirk Broadfoot was not involved following a slight hitch in his bid to return from an eight-month lay-off.