Ghana’s national football team, the Black Stars, will play a friendly match against Liberia on Tuesday, but they will have to do so without some of their injured key players.
The Black Stars secured their place in next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 2-1 comeback win over the Central African Republic (CAR) on Thursday, but the victory came at a cost.
Left-back Baba Rahman, who plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League, has pulled out of the Liberia game due to a knock he picked during the qualifier. At the same time, Gideon Mensah, another defender, is also a doubt.
To fill the gap, coach Chris Hughton has called up Fatawu Hamidu, a left-back from local club Medeama SC, as a backup for the friendly.
Hughton, who took over the Black Stars in July after leaving Brighton and Hove Albion in England, said he was happy with his team’s performance against CAR but admitted they faced a tough challenge against Liberia.
“We have to be careful because Liberia is a very good team. They have some quality players who play abroad, and they will be motivated to prove themselves,” he said at a pre-match press conference on Monday.
On the other hand, Liberia did not play their final AFCON qualifier against Morocco on Saturday due to an earthquake that hit the host country and killed more than 1,000 people.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) postponed the game, and it needs to be clarified when it will be rescheduled.
Liberia’s coach, Ansumana Keita, said he could not assess his players ahead of the Ghana game and expressed his sympathy for the victims of the earthquake.
“We are very sorry for what happened in Morocco. It was a tragedy, and we pray for the families who lost their loved ones,” he said.
Liberia is at the bottom of their group and has no chance of qualifying for AFCON, but Keita said they would play for pride and honor against Ghana.
“We know Ghana is a strong team, and they have qualified already, but we want to give them a good fight and show our potential,” he said.
Ghana and Liberia have met 18 times before, with Ghana winning eight times, Liberia winning six times, and four draws.
The last time they played was in 2012 when Liberia beat Ghana 2-0 in a friendly match.
Source: GRAPHIC ONLINE
