Cairo Stadium atmosphere will not be intimidating for Algeria playmaker Karim Ziani when his country face Egypt in a crucial World Cup qualifier on November 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 girls and 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 struggle to break down opposition.
Cairo Stadium, intimidating? "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, stated. "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 added.
