Stars in a battle of survival

From: William D. Ezah, GNA Special Correspondent, Pretoria, South Africa

Pretoria, June 22, GNA - Having failed to control their own destiny in the match against Australia, the Black Stars of Ghana will now engage in a battle for survival against European giants Germany, in the last group D game at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

It is indeed a difficult assignment for the Stars and, of course, a fight for survival because their continuous stay in the football fiesta will depend on the outcome of the game, since a defeat could see them packing home after an impressive start in the competition. A win for the Stars will see them topping the group with seven points, whilst a draw will however be enough to ensure their stay in the tournament, but these two feats will definitely not come without a fight.

For obvious reasons much pressure will be on the Germans, because an elimination will be their first ever at the group stages of the competition, but the odds seem to favour them, as all previous

meetings between the two nations at every level of association football have gone in their favour. The last time the two sides met at the senior level was in 1993 in an international friendly in

Bochum, Germany, with the Europeans thrashing the Abedi Pele Ayew led Black Stars 6-1, a defeat

which has since been christened "the Bochum Disaster". However, Fred Papoe Vice chairman of the

Ghana Football Association (GFA), believes Wednesday's game is a different scenario all together. "Both sides are coming into the game with different players and management, hence we are

confident of going through no matter the level of opposition", he stated. But then, much will depend on the technical and tactical approach adopted by Milovan Rajevac who

has to come up with something quite different from the way the team played against Serbia and

Australia. An approach that will see the team taking advantage of the numerous scoring chances they created

in each game, as well as a more composed and stable defence. For many analysts, a little variation upfront with the possible shifting of Kevin Prince Boateng to an

attacking role, and a midfield option to Sulley Muntari or an introduction of Samuel Nkoom on the

right side attack, might result in a more potent force up front for the Stars. On a more refreshing note, the return of John Mensah and Isaac Vorsah in the central defence will

be a sure bet for a more stable central defence in a game that will see the Germans coming all out to

avoid a possible elimination. However, they will need to be very tactful and alert in the entire duration of the game if they are to

put the brakes on the attacking pair of Lukas Podolski and Thomas Mueller, whilst the lateral

defenders, Hans Adu Sarpei and John Painstil, will have to watch their back on each occasion they

make an attempt at overlapping since the counter attacks of the Germans have always been very swift

and devastating. Also likely to play a role in the game will be the presence of Kevin Prince Boateng in the Ghanaian

side, though the Germans have denied ever concentrating on Boateng, who once played for Germany

at the youth level; the midfielder also insists he will be under no pressure on Wednesday. But the Germans have never forgiven Boateng for his unintentional tackle on their captain Michael

Ballack in the finals of the English FA Cup between Chelsea and Portsmouth, days before the start of

the competition, which resulted in the absence of the German striker from the tournament. For this, a win over the Germans with Boateng playing a central role will definitely create more

problems for the Ghanaian, who has since the incident been the most hated player in Germany. However, in all circumstances, the Ghana side seems to be the underdog, because the Germans have

the records in their favour. But they also come under the pressure of a possible elimination, whilst the

Stars need just a draw to stay on as Africa's remaining hope.