Accra, Oct. 7, GNA - Ghana’s Black Stars are away to the Desert Hawks of Sudan in Omdurman on Saturday in the ultimate qualifier for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Stars must avoid a loss against their hosts to qualify automatically as winners of Group I.
Both Ghana and Sudan have 13 points apiece with the former on superior goals and the Stars are looking forward to a convincing result to confirm their place at next year’s event slated for Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
In the buildup to the match, both teams have lodged training camps away from home to prepare adequately for the decider.
Ghana were in Kenya whilst Sudan pitched camp in neighbouring Ethiopia, where they stayed for nine-days.
The Sudanese are in their best form in recent times having held the Ghanaians to a barren draw at their backyard in Kumasi last September.
The outcome of that match has led to calculations and uncertainties surrounding the qualification as far as the group is concerned.
Shockingly, Black Stars coach Goran Stevanovic has left out influential midfielder Andre Dede Ayew and dependable goalkeeper Richard Kingson from his squad for no obvious reasons.
Whilst Ayew has scored thrice in two games since the release of the squad the club-less Kingson also got himself busy by training with his former club, Wigan Athletic.
Though Ghana beat Sudan 2-0 in the match between the two sides at the latter’s home two years ago, the current form of the Desert Hawks is enough to erase any form of underestimation on the part of the Black Stars.
The entirely locally-based Sudanese team can boast of players such as inspirational captain Haitham Mostafa, Abdul Kadir Galag, Omar Musaab, Mudathir Eltaib and Tahir Mohamed.
Only the group winners will qualify as well as the two best runners-up. Prior to the final round of matches, Cote d’Ivoire, Botswana, Burkina Faso and Senegal have booked their places from the qualifying series alongside co-host Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
