World Cup-bound teams have six months of build-up from the day of the draw to the day of their opening match, the wait almost whiplash-inducing as the mood switches from preparation to crunch time. That is especially true for the teams who could not manage to win their opening games; those first three points a real cushion as another batch of challenges await and so, a few short after their World Cups began, Jordan and Algeria have to contemplate the fact that it also might come to an end in less than a week’s time.

The pair meet at Levi’s Stadium in northern California on Monday on the back of heavy defeats, some more dispiriting than others. Jordan’s World Cup debut may have ended with a 3-1 loss to Austria, things unraveling quickly despite finding an equalizer in the 50th minute, but they were no slouches even in defeat. Their performance earned the praise of Austria head coach Ralf Rangnick, who essentially gave the newcomers a vote of confidence that they do, in fact, belong amongst the elites.

“Jordan did a fantastic job throughout the match,” he said after the game. “We expected a difficult opponent; we knew that they were going to be anything but easy, but today they displayed a very brave kind of football. ‌They exceeded ⁠my expectations. I know that some of you thought that we would be the favourite in this match, but we were definitely not.”

The performance, at the very least, should provide Jordan with enough confidence to tackle their next challenge at their first World Cup – Algeria. The Fennecs are not newcomers but they do not have a long history at the tournament, either, returning for the first time since 2014, when they made their one and only trip to the knockouts. Algeria did not suffer the most lopsided loss of the first round of games but they may have been on the wrong side of the most notable result, serving as Lionel Messi’s victim as he bagged his first-ever World Cup hat trick and equalled Miroslav Klose’s all-time goalscoring record. If it was not Algeria, it would likely be some other team that would have the most unwanted front row seat to Messi’s brilliance but it is hard to know if the game had a mood-dampening impact.

It does not help Algeria’s case that they could not put a single one of their seven shots on target last week, mustering just 0.32 expected goals along the way in a poor attacking performance that was still overshadowed by Luca Zidane’s unimpressive goalkeeping. Monday’s game against Jordan, though, marks a perfect chance to bounce back – or run the risk of their World Cup journey coming to an end before it begins in earnest.

How to watch Jordan vs. Algeria

Date: Monday, June 22 | Time: 11 p.m. ET
Location: Levi’s Stadium — Santa Clara, Calif.
TV: FS1 (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Odds: Jordan +500; Draw +320; Algeria -185

Jordan vs. Algeria predicted starting lineups

Jordan: Yazeed Abulaila, Mohammad Abualnadi, Abdallah Nasib, Yazan Al-Arab, Mohannad Abu Taha, Noor Al-Rawabdeh, Nizar Al-Rashdan, Ehsan Haddad, Odeh Fakhoury, Mousa Al-Tamari, Ali Olwan

Algeria: Luca Zidane, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Aissa Mandi, Ramy Bensebaini, Rafik Belghali, Nabil Bentaleb, Houssem Aouar, Fares Chaibi, Ibrahim Maza, Riyad Mahrez, Amine Gouiri

Keep up with the World Cup standings here!

 Jordan vs. Algeria pick, prediction

Algeria will technically have more experience and a bit more flash – Manchester City’s past and present converge here ever so slightly with Riyad Mahrez and Rayan Ait-Nouri – but it is hard to know which way this one will shake out. Jordan seem like the type of team that should be underestimated at your own risk, and Ali Olwan will likely be keen to add to his goalscoring accounts after bagging Jordan’s first-ever World Cup goal. It might not help either team in the end but this game feels like it just might end in a draw, the two sides ultimately cancelling each other out as they try to pick up a much-needed win. Pick: Jordan 2, Algeria 2

Check out our World Cup expert predictions.  

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