Stars 'hard to beat' in Afcon qualifiers, says Thomas Partey

Ghana's Thomas Partey (right) dribbles past Uganda's Hassan Wasswa during their 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifying match at the Namboole Stadium in Kampala. PHOTO | ISMAIL KEZAALA |

What you need to know:

  • Ghana top Group “F” with three points, followed by Sierra Leone, Kenya and Ethiopia in that order.

Ghanaian international midfielder Thomas Partey has admitted that the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier match against Harambee Stars planned for September 7 will be tough.

Partey, who plays for La Liga giants Atletico Madrid, said the match will be crucial in their fight to qualify for the continental showpiece in Cameroon next year.

Ghana top Group “F” with three points, followed by Sierra Leone, Kenya and Ethiopia in that order.

“At the moment, I don’t know what’s going on in Kenya but it’s a fact that most countries are eyeing a win in the next qualifiers,” he told Nation Sport in a telephone interview.

The 24-year-old, who has five goals in 15 appearances for the Black Stars, added: “It’s not going to be easy because most African pitches are in bad state now but we shall come to compete because our aim is to qualify for Afcon.”

The midfielder was speaking ahead of the Madrid derby pitting Real Madrid on Sunday.

Atletico are in second place in La Liga with 67 points, four ahead of third-placed Real and a win will get Diego Simeone’s men closer to Barcelona who top the standings on 76 points.

“The focus is on Sunday’s match because it’s a derby and most important for us is a win. We know if we get the three points we move closer to fighting for La Liga title,” he said of the match slated to kick off at 5.15pm (Kenyan time) at Santiago Bernabeu.

“I know Africans will be behind me in the derby and I will go out there to show the talent we’ve. I feel important at Atletico because the coach believes in me,” stated Partey.

Predominantly a defensive midfielder, Partey boasts technical skills, off-the-ball movement and is good at game reading that has made big contributions for the Simeone-coached side, this season netting three goals in 27 games.

Partey is of the view that African federations should spend money on football development in order to produce many players in top European leagues.

Kenya for instance has Victor Wanyama in the English Premier League (EPL), Michael Olunga and McDonald Mariga in La Liga and Segunda respectively.