..As Stars Host Congo Today
Most Ghanaian football fans are anticipating a resounding victory for the Black Stars over the Red Devils of Congo in an African Nations Cup Group I qualifier at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium today.
Even though the match will be honored in Kumasi where reports indicate that the euphoria among the fans is high, fans in the capital, Accra, have also not been left out of the match discussions, as they were hopeful Ghana will thrash the Congolese by a big margin.
They were optimistic Ghana will qualify for the Nations Cup to be hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea next year after the expected vintage performance.
Kwame Ansong, a dyed- in-the-wool Black Stars fan who resides at Kaneshie in Accra said he could not wait to see both Kevin Prince Boateng who will be playing for Ghana in his homeland for the first time and returnee Michael Essien in the same Stars line up.
Ahmed Musah of Adenta, Accra, also could not hide his ecstasy as he predicted a 4-0 victory for Goran Stevanovic's side.
The game's bookmakers have highly tipped the World Cup quarter-finalists as favourites, uncertainties in the game notwithstanding.
The Stars returned from the first leg unscratched; hitting the back of the net three times without a reply courtesy, Partisan Belgrade striking pair of Prince Tagoe and Dominic Adiyiah.
It was Goran Stevanovic's first competitive game, and yet he proved beyond reasonable doubt that the venue had no telling effect on his 'incomplete' side.
Thankfully, he now boasts of a full house that will see the return of Chelsea star and his 'pet' Michael Essien, and Kevin Prince Boateng, who makes his home debut, among other stars.
The positives notwithstanding, Skipper John Mensah has charged his colleagues to play above themselves to realize their dream of winning to consolidate their lead in Group I.
'Everything points to the fact that we are favourites, but we are taking no chances and we want to win, and win well,' he told DAILY GUIDE SPORTS in an interview.
The visitors, guided by Robert Corfou, on the other hand, have little to boast of in terms of pedigree on the terrain. Their best Nations Cup performance was in '92 when they exited the competition at the quarter-final stage when Senegal hosted the competition. They are ranked 119 on the continent as against Ghana's number one.
The Stars will fly out to South Korea tomorrow for the international friendly against their South Korean counterparts in Seoul on Tuesday.
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