- Sofiane Feghouli set to face two Algeria teammates at Leicester City on New Year's Eve
- Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani both expected to feature in Premier League fixture
- West Ham United winger hoping to feature after setting up a goal on Boxing Day
Sofiane Feghouli is relishing the opportunity to share the pitch with ‘two brothers’ when West Ham United travel to Leicester City on New Year’s Eve.
Hammers winger Feghouli and Foxes forwards Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani are all stars of the Algeria national team, helping The Greens to reach the 2014 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 and the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals.
Between them, the trio have been capped more than 100 times, have scored 40 international goals and won three of the last four the Algerian Footballer of the Year awards – Feghouli in 2012, Slimani in 2013 and Mahrez in 2015.
On Saturday, the three Desert Warriors will come face to face at the King Power Stadium, where the in-form West Ham will seek to heap further misery on the struggling champions.
“It's a match against two teammates, two brothers, so it's always a pleasure to play against them,” Feghouli told whufc.com. “I hope we will be able to win it to climb up the table again and to make our supporters happy.”
The No7 helped the Hammers to do just that at Swansea City on Boxing Day, where he appeared as a substitute and assisted Andy Carroll’s emphatic fourth in a 4-1 Premier League victory.
“It was a very good result for the team. We scored four goals and won 4-1, it's never easy to score so many goals especially away from home, so it's very good for the confidence,” he confirmed.
“It was the third victory on the trot, we need to keep it up and try to do better and to improve and work on our weaknesses and eliminate any errors.
“There are some things that come naturally to me, and with Andy, I know that when I tear down the wing, he likes to hang back and wait at the back post to be able to win the ball. I knew he was in that area so I was happy that he scored and also happy that I was able to deliver a decisive pass.”
It's a match against two teammates, two brothers, so it's always a pleasure to play against them
Sofiane Feghouli
Following Saturday’s trip to Leicester and the visit of Manchester United to London Stadium on 2 January, Feghouli will pack his bags to join Mahrez, Slimani and his Algeria teammates in preparation for the Africa Cup of Nations.
“First of all there’s a match and I’m concentrated and focussed on the match with Leicester, then after there’s the preparation for the African Nations Cup,” he confirmed.
“It's very important for me and for the Algerian team and for all the fans of the Algerian national team.
“So, we're going to make it our job to prepare well, to get to know our upcoming opposition, and above all we're going to turn up determined to make a success of our tournament.”