Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Nabil Bentaleb has revealed that he is hopeful of going far at the Africa Cup of Nations with Algeria.
The 20-year-old and his international teammates enjoyed a successful qualifying campaign, winning five of their six matches.
While he admits that he was "gutted" to leave the Spurs camp, Bentaleb is looking forward to the upcoming tournament in Equatorial Guinea.
"Of course I was gutted to leave Tottenham for a while, but my country is counting on me," he told the club's official website. "I have to assume my duties and play for my country and that's what I'm doing.
"We have tremendous players, we have very good talent and we are still a young side, but we have a few experienced players who we can take some lessons from. We have to keep our feet on the ground, work hard and hopefully it will go right for us."
Algeria start their AFCON campaign on Monday when they face South Africa.