The national Under-20 team, the Black Satellites are set to embark on yet another adventurous journey in search of honours on the international soccer landscape this weekend. Come Saturday at the Kumasi Stadium, the Satellites will engage Guinea Bissau in the first leg of their One-sixteenth African Youth Championship qualifier.
The Ghanaian team has not had the best of preparations needed for such international competitions but it is hopeful that the U-20 side would rise to the occasion against all odds. If for nothing at all, the present squad are expected to take inspiration from the success story of their predecessors in the Africa and World Championships where they ended up as runners up on both occasions, last year.
Apart from their level of preparations, the FA?s recent technical reshuffles, which resulted in the substitution of their former headcoach Isaac Paha by coach A.K. Adusei barely three weeks to this crucial match did not help matter either. In such a delicate situation, the focus will certainly be on the new helmsman to apply his rich experience to salvage the team from elimination.
It was therefore little surprise when coach Adusei expelled 10 players from the 25-man squad immediately after their 2-0 loss to Great Olympics in a friendly match at Legon last Friday. And to supplement the current 15 players in camp, he intimated falling on the services of Germany-based Gardo Mohammed, Massaudu Mumuni (Maxbees), Francis Mantey (Olympics) and goalkeeper George Amponsah of Power FC.
Together with players like Ernest Papa Arko, Lawrence Awuley Quaye, Quartelai Quartey, Bawa Mohammed, Isaac Amoako, Samuel Cudjoe, Saliu Muntari, Daniel Coleman and others, coach Adusei will hope to clear this first hurdle. At least, all that Ghanaians need is a good home win to render the return leg to be honoured in three weeks time in Bissau less arduous.
The two countries interestingly have something in common in terms of qualification to this stage as they did so without kicking a ball. While Ghana was seeded in the preliminaries, Guinea Bissau advanced following the withdrawal of Liberia. Thus with the scanty idea about their West African neighbours, the Satellites cannot afford to take chances but bury their opponents in an avalanche of goals.
