Soccer-Newcastle's Abeid earns call-up to Algeria squad

Reuters

ALGIERS, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Newcastle United midfielder Mehdi Abeid has earned a first call-up to the Algeria squad for their final two African Nations Cup qualifiers, the Algerian Football Federation said on Saturday. The 22-year-old French-born player is one of two newcomers in a 23-man selection for the matches against Ethiopia in Blida next Saturday and Mali away in Bamako on Nov. 19. Striker Baghdad Bounedjah, from Tunisian club Etoile Sahel, has also won a maiden call-up. An ankle injury keeps out Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Nabil Bentaleb while inactivity at club level has cost Crystal Palace's Adlene Guedioura, Ryad Boudebouz of Bastia and Parma striker Ishak Belfodil their places in coach Christian Gourcuff's squad. Algeria have already qualified for the 2015 finals as the only team in the group phase with a 100 percent record. (Reporting by Mark Gleeson in Johannesburg; Editing by Toby Davis)