"Our biggest strength is the team" - Djukovic

(By Veronica Commey, GNA Special Correspondent, Wurzburg, Germany)

Wurzburg (Germany) June 25, GNA - Ghana's national team coach, Ratomir Djukovic says the Black Stars walks into a touch knockout duel against Brazil on Tuesday with their biggest strength being "the team". Djukovic told the GNA Sports in Wurzburg on Saturday that "our biggest strength to me, is the team".

The optimistic coach has tagged the semi final stage as the team's target and remains convinced his changes have what it takes to scale the Brazil hurdle to keep going.

The Stars are set up for an anticipated gruelling duel with the defending champions after finishing second with six points from Group E.

The game, scheduled for Dortmund on Tuesday is seen as one capable of producing the game of the tournament based on the duo's respective style of play.

The Serbian says his players have the capabilities to stop the favoured Brazilians who, he believes "will have to suffer to get a result from the game".

The former Rwandan coach told the GNA Sports: "my boys are ready to die for us to achieve success and are not afraid of any team" irrespective of the level of opposition they may present. He accepts the enormity of the task of preventing the South Americans from staying in their element, but said his team's focus is to rehearse the best of strategies to enable them to glitter. The Stars are the sole survivors in the championship after the quartet- Togo, Cote D' Ivoire, Tunisia and Angola checked out after the group stages.

Djukovic said they have all important factors that would work in their favour - eventual penalty shootout in the wake of a deadlock in regulation or extra time- well covered in his quest for the desired results.

The Stars would be missing the services of influential midfielder, Michael Essien - something the Serbian terms as a big blow. "The calibre of Essien will easily make it a big blow to any team in the world and that is how we are feeling at the moment. But the good news is, we have accepted that fact long ago and are willing to work hard, support each other and ensure that the vacuum his absence will create does not affect our play.

"When it became clear that Muntari and Gyan won't be available for the game against USA, I was a bit scared but their replacement did well to fly high our hope and I believe whoever is brought in to replace Essien will do his best for the team".

The Brazilian players are said to have described the Ghanaians as tactically and technically "indisciplined" - an issue the coach termed unfortunate and resolved to help the boys call that bluff.

The Stars lost to Italy 0-2, disciplined second world best Czech Republic 2-0 and sent the fifth, Americans parking with a 2-1 result. The coach is buoyed by the return of Sulley Ali Muntari, the player, he calls exceptional and Asamaoh Gyan, scorer of the fastest goal of the tournament.

Both players, scorers of the two gaols against the Czechs missed the last group game due to suspension and coach Djukovic discribes their return is timely .

In Muntari, the coach is hoping to have a creative genius, a fighter, tackler and a complete player whose output often reflects on the team's performance.