Appiah draws the line for his players

Ghana certainly has a squad that looks stronger than it has for a while, with Michael Essien, Andre Ayew and Kevin-Prince Boateng returning to the Black Stars for Friday's final World Cup second round qualifier against Zambia.

The return of the three players into an already strong squad which sits top of the Group D table and one point ahead of their opponents has handed Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah a big armoury to select his starting team from.

With a strong and star-studded squad to pick from, Appiah doesn't feel his position will be undermined by disciplinary issues when his selection is announced.

“It’s good that we get all our best players. Hopefully, we will see how it goes,” the Black Stars coach said in Accra ahead of their trip to Kumasi on Wednesday for the match.

“They are all working so well. When you speak to them, they all know how important this game is, for them and the nation as well. They’ve been made aware of being professional on and off the field,” he added.

For Appiah, having a strong unit is very important as he expects every player to show hunger and support the team.

“The most important thing is having good players on your bench and whoever starts in immaterial,” Kwesi Appiah said.

Ghana need only to avoid defeat against the Chipolopolo at the Baba Yara Stadium to secure a place in the play-off round for World Cup qualifying.

But the Black Stars coach expects a tough contest with either side still pushing for the sole qualifying spot.

“It’s not an easy game. Zambia is also a very good side and it’s important that we prepare very well physiologically and I believe the boys are really psyched up for the game,” he said.