Black Stars Captain Andre Dede Ayew
Black Stars Captain Andre Dede Ayew is confident of victory in their Group H opening match fixture against Portugal come Thursday at Stadium 974 in Doha.
Ghana goes into this game with a win against Switzerland in their last friendly before opening their World Cup campaign against the Portuguese on Thursday.
According to the Ghanaian Skipper, Portugal has all the big names in football currently and on paper, they appear favourites to win the tournament.
However, for him, it would be a different situation on the field as he promises the Black Stars will give the Portuguese a run for their money.
“Portugal are the favourites on paper but we have to show on the field that on paper is not the same as on the pitch. We believe in ourselves, we know what is ahead and we are going to everything to make it very difficult for them,” he said.
“It is true that before the games come, we’ll feel the stress, we’ll feel the pressure. It is the world Cup and we are playing against Portugal. It is normal, if you don’t feel it then you are not human,” he added.
“But it is how you deal with it and I feel the players we have players playing at big clubs and they play in big games”. He furthered in his pre-match conference before tomorrow’s game.
The previous meeting between the two teams took place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and ended in a 2-1 victory for Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo was the difference between the two teams on the day and will look to make his mark yet again in this fixture.
Ghana goes into the competition as the least-ranked team in the Qatar 2022 tournament.
The Black Stars will also face familiar opposition in the Uruguayans, and South Korea in Group H aside from Portugal.
