Ghana dey sit for third place on di table wit 6 points
Di blackstars of Ghana off di back of dia late 1-2 win for Mali last week dey hope say dem go a step closer to qualifying for di World Cup wit home game vs Central Africa Republic on Monday.
A late Jordan Ayew goal for extra time in Bamako seal all three points for di black starts in coach Otto Addo im first competitive game afta im re-appointment as coach.
Ghana dey sit for third place on di table wit 6 points, di same points as group leaders Madagascar and Comoros for second place.
Na goal difference dey separate di top three teams.
Mali dey fourth wia Ghana im Monday night opponent, CAR dey fifth wit 4 points and Chad dey bottom wit zero points.
Coach Otto Addo know say e go be difficult game afta dia last-minute win for Mali wia neva lose home game for two years.
Im tok for pre-match press conference say “we no fit relax afta dat game. We for kontinue to push, wia di support of di home fans go be critical.”
Di last time di blackstars play for di baba yara sports stadium na afta di poor Afcon campaign for Cote D’ivoire, but di fans still fill di stadium to support di team.
Coach Otto Addo neva dey take dat support for granted.
“Di support of di Kumasi fans be unbelievable and dem don dey support even wen di team dey di lowest.”
Di last time Otto dey involved for game inside di baba yara sports stadium na 2022 World Cup qualifier wit super eagles of Nigeria wey end nil nil.
“Dia support against CAR go make di difference,” coach Otto add.
CAR gatz good offensive transition, wia we for stop dem on Monday.
For blackstars poster boy Mohammed Kudus, “our focus be say we go dey di 2026 World Cup. Every player wan go di World Cup, e no dey mata how we go get dia.”
Im add say im den im colleagues gatz to give dia best to achieve dia goal.
“We dey readi to maintain our winning run - we want win all our remaining matches.”
“We go defeat CAR on Monday,” Kudus assure di fans.
Kudus don comot di last game vs Mali as im play below im usual standards.
Some pundits dey fear say im begin dey feel tiredness afta im long debut season wit Westham, but di player tok say im dey fit and ready.
CAR coach dey confident to get good result from Kumasi
For coach of CAR Raoul Savoy, di team don train well afta dia 1-0 win vs Chad.
“We dey come play good game vs di black stars for Kumasi just like we play last September wen we come here,” im tok.
For dat match in Kumasi, coach Savoy don grab di headlines afta im storm out of di post match press conference sake of im feel say di referee decide di outcome of di game.
Di coach wey vex at di time tok say “Ghana go suffer for di 2023 Afcon - e go dey like dia 2021 Afcon.”
Ghana in fact go di Afcon for Ivory Coast wey dem go struggle well well - dem comot from di group stage without a win.
One journalist ask coach Savoy say make im clarify dat statement for di Sunday press conference wey im tok say wetin im tok at di time don happun.
“I tok wetin I tok, na so Ghana struggle for di Afcon, no be so?”.
But for di Monday game, coach Savoy dis game na revenge.
“Eight months be long time for football, but since we play di blackstars tins don change, Ghana gatz new coach, some of di players don change but for us, dis na revenge game.”
Im add say “if di referees do da job well, all games na tough games, no team be small team for Africa today.”
Dem ask di coach weda im get plan to get a result for Kumasi, dis be wetin im tok.
“I sabi wetin I want, di players sabi too. On Monday everibodi go see am.”
Team news
Coach Otto tok say some of im players get minor injuries for di Mali game especially as di temperature for Bamako during di game na 42 degrees.
“Few players gat small injuries for dat tough game but everibodi don train wey dem go dey ready for di match.”
Im stress say for dis kind games, your bench gatz to be solid to help di team for crucial times.
“Di subs for di Mali game don change di game wey dem win di three points for us. So dat be how we go try to do am going forward,” coach Addo explain.
Central African Republic coach tok say im gatz some young players wey join di team from top clubs for Europe.
Im dey count on dia talent and experience to shock Ghana for dis game.
Im go get any fresh injury wahala for camp, wia im dey confident say dis current form go give dem confidence.
Im tok say “if I no dey confident as di coach, wetin di players go do, so I for dey confident say my team go scatter Ghana blackstars.”
Head-to-head
Ghana don play CAR for di 2024 Afcon qualifiers wey blackstars win 2-1 wit goals from Kudus and Ernest Nuamah for September last year.
For di earlier game for CAR, Ghana secure 1-1 draw away.
CAR for di last two meetings wit Ghana no get win.
Dem lose one, wia dem draw di oda one.
Raoul Savoy’s team don dey excellent form recently wia dem dey unbeaten in four games.
For dat four games, dem score 12 goals wey dem concede only one wit three clean sheets in a row.
Players to watch
Les Fauves dia record goal scorer Louis Mafouta go hope to score im first goal for dis World Cup qualifiers wen im lead di attack.
Di 29 year-old Amiens player gatz 11 goals for CAR from 22 caps.
Im also get 17 goals from 36 appearances for im club Amiens since 2023.
Di oda player to watch na Marseille midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia wey go take charge inside di midfield.
Di last time CAR play Ghana for Kumasi, Kondogbia don hurt so im no play some.
Venuste Baboula don dey key for di wild beats as im make ogbonge contributions for dia last two games for di World Cup qualifiers.
Ghana go count on dia star boy Mo Kudus and Lyon winger Ernest Nuamah wey score di equalizer for Mali bifor Jordan grab di winner last week.
Nuamah for dis fixture eight months ago also score one goal, togeda wit Kudus for dat 2-1 win.
Inside midfield, captain Thomas Partey go be important for di blackstars despite say im miss one clear 1 v 1 chance for di game against Mali.
Probable lineups:
Ghana
Ati-Zigi (GK); Lamptey, Djiku, Salisu, Mensah, Owusu, Partey, Nuamah, Kudus, Jordan, Semenyo
CAR
Youfeigane (GK); Ndobe, Yangao, Niamthe, Guinari, Youga, Toropite, Pirioua, Namnganda, Mafouta, Manzoki
Di match go start at 07:00 Ghana time.
Copyright © 1994 - 2024 GhanaWeb. All rights reserved.
