Sports

Black Stars, Mali lock horns

AFP PHOTO/PIUS UTOMI EKPEI Ghanaian captain John Mensah (L) is led off the field by physical trainer Grbovic Milan before the start of training in Ngouni, Gabon on January 26, 2012. Mensah was sent off in their first match with Botswana for foul tackle and will miss their next match against Mali on January 28, at Franceville stadium in Gabon.

AFP PHOTO/PIUS UTOMI EKPEI Ghanaian captain John Mensah (L) is led off the field by physical trainer Grbovic Milan before the start of training in Ngouni, Gabon on January 26, 2012. Mensah was sent off in their first match with Botswana for foul tackle and will miss their next match against Mali on January 28, at Franceville stadium in Gabon.  

By AFP
Posted  Friday, January 27  2012 at  20:15

In Summary

  • Second favourtites Ghana tipped to beat Les Aigles in West African derby

Franceville

The Africa Cup of Nations Group D will serve up a second west African derby when Ghana face Mali on Saturday night.

Mali edged past Guinea 1-0 in the first west African derby of the group on Tuesday, while the third such clash will be next week when Ghana battle another sub-regional rival Guinea.

Pre-tournament favourites Black Stars of Ghana will again be expected to beat Mali after they defeated Les Aigles home and away in the qualifying tournament for the 2010 World Cup, which also served as eliminator for the 2010 Nations Cup.

“It’s difficult when you are one of the pre-tournament favourites,” admitted Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic.
“We have already learnt that it is not easy to beat any team here. We therefore have to be ready for Mali.”

Ankle complaint

However, Ghana, who are on $90,000-a-man (about Sh8 million) if they win this competition, were far from convincing in their opening game against debutants Botswana and only had a lucky first-half goal by skipper John Mensah to thank for a slim win.

Mensah will miss this match on account of his sending off against Botswana, but will be available for selection in the final group game against Guinea if he recovers from a muscle problem he suffered in his team’s first game.

“It’s difficult to replace a player like Mensah but I have told the team that I would need all of them for this tournament and so I have 20 players who could replace him against Mali,” said Stevanovic. There have been some concerns as regards the fitness of star striker Asamoah Gyan, who limped out of training Thursday with a suspected ankle complaint.

Hard-fought win

It will be a heavy body blow for Ghana should Gyan fail to recover for this match as the Black Stars are thin on strikers for this tournament.

Mali also had to defend with their lives a first-half goal by Bakaye Traore to turn away Guinea in the other Group D match on Tuesday.

Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita has assumed bigger responsibilities in the absence of top Mali stars like Mahamadou Diarra, Momo Sissoko and Frederic Kanoute, who has quit international football.

“Ghana remain the favourites in our group, but the Black Stars are not unbeatable,” Keita said, who was very emotional after a hard-fought win over next door neighbours Guinea. “The objective is to play to our potentials and get a positive result on Saturday.”

He added: “We have not achieved anything yet and in football, things can happen so fast and so our second game against Ghana will be a lot more decisive.”

(AFP)