2015 AFRICA CUP - ALGERIA - MEHDI ABEID IN SQUAD
Algeria coach Christian Gourcuff has named Newcastle United midfielder Mehdi Abeid in his squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.
The uncapped 22-year-old is one of five changes to the 23-man World Cup squad.
Abeid, who played for Algeria in Olympic qualifying in 2011, has played only three Premier League games this season.
The Algerians are in Group C with Ghana, Senegal and South Africa for the 17 January to 8 February finals.
Coming into the squad along with Abeid are Ishak Belfodil, Foued Kadir, goalkeeper Doukha Izzeddine and Mehdi Zeffane.
BBC African Footballer of the Year Yacine Brahimi has also been included, as well as veteran defender Madjid Bougherra.
But goalkeeper Cedric Si Mohamed, Hassan Yebda and Nabil Ghilas have been left out by Gourcuff, despite having been part of the World Cup squad that reached the last 16 for the first time in Brazil last summer.
Liassine Cadamuro and Mehdi Mostefa, who were also part of that squad, have been named on a list of seven reserves.
Algeria squad:
Goalkeepers:
Rais Mbolhi
(Philadelphia Union, USA)
Doukha Izzeddine
(JS Kabylie)
Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche
(USM Alger)
Defenders:
Essaid Belkalem
(Trabzonspor, Turkey)
Madjid Bougherra
Fujaira, UAE)
Faouzi Ghoualm
(Napoli, Italy)
Rafik Halliche
(SC Qatar, Qatar)
Aissa Mandi
(Stade Reims, France)
Carl Medjani
(Trabzonspor, Turkey)
Djamel Mesbah
(Sampdoria, Italy)
Mehdi Zeffane
(Lyon, France)
Midfielders:
Nabil Bentaleb
(Tottenham, England)
Yacine Brahimi
(Porto, Portugal)
Medhi Lacen
(Getafe, Spain)
Saphir Taider
(Sassuolo, Italy)
Mehdi Abeid
(Newcastle United, England)
Foued Kadir
(Real Betis, Spain)
Forwards:
Abdelmoumene Djabou
(Club Africain, Tunisia)
Sofiane Feghouli
(Valencia, Spain)
Riyad Mahrez
(Leicester City, England)
Islam Slimani
(Sporting Lisbon, Portugal)
Hilal Soudani
(Dinamo Zagreb, Croatia)
Ishak Belfodil
(Parma, Italy)
Reserves:
Liassine Cadamuro
(Osasuna, Spain)
Adlene Guedioura Adlane
(Watford, England)
Mehdi Mostefa
(Lorient, France)
Walid Mesloub
(Lorient, France)
Ryad Boudebouz
(SC Bastia, France)
Ahmed Kashi
(Metz, France)
Baghdad Bounedjah
(Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia)
Algeria