Dinamo Zagreb striker Hilal Al Arabi Soudani has been ruled out of Algeria’s double clash with Ethiopia in Group J of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Soudani sustained an injury in the Croatia Cup on Wednesday, after scoring the opener in his side’s 2-0 win over Hajduk Split.

To replace the former ASO Chlef hitman, national coach Christian Gourcuff handed a maiden call-up to KV Mechelen attacking midfielder Sofiane Hanni.

The 25-year-old scored 14 goals from 29 Belgian Pro League appearances for his club this season.

Lying top of Group J on six points following back-to-back wins over Seychelles and Lesotho, the ‘Fennecs’ will host Ethiopia in Blida on 25 March before travelling to Addis Ababa for the reverse fixture scheduled for 29 March.

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com