Black Stars ready for Sudan in race to 2025 AFCON

The senior national team, the Black Stars, will face off with the Sudan national team, Falcons of Je­diane, today in the first of a 2025 African Cup of Nations double-head­er, at the Accra Sports Stadium at 4pm.

It is a must-win situation for the Ghanaians; any other results may be devastat­ing to the quest to make an elev­en-straight appearance at the biennial tournament.

After losing their 24-year unbeaten home run at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium with a 1-0 defeat by Angola in the opening game of the qualifi­ers, the Black Stars settled for a disap­pointing 1-1 draw with The Mena of Niger in their second match.

Back to the Accra Sports Sta­dium which has not hosted any international game for some time now, Ghanaians are hoping for a positive outcome ahead of the reverse fixture on Monday in Libya.

Ghana currently sit below Su­dan on the standings in Group F; a victory today would move them to second place below leaders, Angola, who play Niger in the group’s other game.

Coach Otto Addo will have to map out a strategy to secure the much-needed victory over the Sudanese without his skipper, Thomas Partey, Osman Ibrahim, Joseph Paintsil, and Kingsley Schindler, who are out of the squad due to various injuries.

Cercle Brugge’s midfielder, Abu Francis, AZ Alkmaar for­ward, Ibrahim Sadiq, and Jonas Adjei Adjetey of FC Basel, coach Addo will have replacements for the absentees, hoping they will add the magic touch to the

 likes of Inaki Williams, Antoine Semenyo, Mohammed Kudus, Abdul Fatawu, and Jordan Ayew to see his side over the visitors.

The Falcons of Jediane come into this game with one of Gha­na’s own tacticians, James Kwesi Appiah, a former coach of the side who is credited with the rise of some players in the currently Black Stars squad, leading the charge.

Coach Kwesi Appiah fac­tor makes the game very slip­pery, giving a lot of Ghanaians headaches and sharply dividing support for the Black Stars.

Coach Appiah has managed eight games as Sudan coach, win­ning five, losing two, and drawing one. The 2-1 defeat by Angola in their last AFCON qualifier ended their four-match unbeaten run in competitive matches.

Coach Appiah has implored his side to improve upon that performance, and he believes his side has what it takes to do just that on any grounds.

The return to the Sudanese squad of Al Hilal star, Eid Moghaddam, and Al-Merreikh goalkeeper, Ahmed Peter, is expected to be boosted by the likes of Mohamed Mamoun Eisa, Sharif Omer, Saif Thierry, and Mohamed Abdelrahman.

Back at the Accra Sports Stadium after a long absence, the Black Stars would be hoping that Ghanaians in the capital would get behind them right from the blast of the whistle till the final minute of the game.

That notwithstanding, they must put up an improved per­formance to win the fans back to their side and improve their chances of qualification

 BY RAYMOND ACK­UMEY

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