Black Stars predicted starting XI against Cape Verde

The Black Stars of Ghana will today take on the Nzalang Nacional of Cape Verde in the second Group B match. So much is at stake when these two lock horns after Egypt had already played Mozambique earlier. For Ghana, it will be less of a fight to proceed to the knockout stages than a redemption mission. The Black Stars bowed out in the group stages in the last edition after finishing bottom of a group containing Morocco, Gabon and Comoros.

Cape Verde on the other hand progressed to the knockout from Group A after finishing behind Cameroon and Burkina Faso. However, their journey ended immediately after at the hands of eventual champions Senegal.

Ghana is without some of the notable names including Thomas Teye Partey, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Baba Rahman, Tariq Lamptey and Fatawu Issahaku but Chris Hughton has very suitable options for nearly all of them. The Black Stars have dropped down in stock since the last edition despite appearing at the World Cup in Qatar. They have dropped out of the top 10 teams in Africa heading into this tournament. Aside from that, the team has flattered to deceive and lost against Comoros in a World Cup qualifier after managing a solitary goal victory over Madagascar.

While Chris Hughton’s men may look favourites on paper due to their big-name stars such as the Ayew brothers, Mohammed Kudus, Inaki Williams and the likes, the team has been poor lately. In the last five matches before this tournament, Ghana lost three, drew one and won one. The defeats include 0-2 against Mexico, 0-4 against USA and 0-1 to Comoros. The win draw was against Namibia in the preparatory match for this tournament. It ended with so many Ghanaians feeling red-faced over the poor performance and lack of a game plan.

Who to watch from Black Stars of Ghana

Despite their well-defined weaknesses, Ghana still is one of the top sides and if we can reverse back, they are the reason Nigeria did not participate in the last edition of the World Cup. While Andre Ayew is certain to see fewer minutes in games and mostly off the bench, his younger brother Jordan remains key to Chris Hughton and the former Tottenham boss has faith in him.

Mohammed Kudus is the poster boy despite the presence of Inaki Williams and others. The West Ham star is expected to be crucial in helping the Black Stars right their wrongs of the recent past. He is both creative and has a good eye for goal and would be a huge threat against the Nzalang Nacional.

Inaki Williams has not seen the back of the net regularly since switching allegiance to Ghana. His partner Antione Semenyo has no greater joy in front of the goal either but maybe they could find their scoring boots now.

Goalkeeping could be Ghana’s biggest worry. Richard Ofori was the trusted pair of hands when Fatau Dauda and Razak Braimah both phased out. But injury has ensured he has missed some crucial moments for Ghana including the last World Cup. Jojo Wollacott took over from him and led the qualifiers for Qatar but also missed out through injury in the last week. Both are back and though Wollacott is yet to start a game since his return, Ofori made two appearances in the most recent games. Lawrence Ati-Zigi will be hoping to have his chances too.

Salisu Mohammed has made a return after missing out for months. While his presence is a big welcome, Chris Hughton will have a big decision to make. He could partner Amartey with Djiku who also returned from a long absence from the team. But benching Salisu would not go down well with Ghanaian supporters especially if the team concedes. Amartey and Salisu have both played in defence together before and could be one top option in defence but Djiku would be wondering why he would not start. He has made more league appearances this season than both Amartey and Salisu.

With Partey absent, Salis Mohammed will have to work with a new midfield partner and Baba Iddrisu has often been preferred as a replacement for Thomas Partey. But Elisha Owusu and Majeed Ashimeru have both done enough to deserve their chances in midfield and is another tight area Chris Hughton will have to crack.

Predicted XI: Richard Ofori, Denis Odoi, Gideon Mensah, Salisu Mohammed, Daniel Amartey, Salis Mohammed, Baba Iddrisu, Mohammed Kudus, Joseph Paintsil, Jordan Ayew, Inaki Williams