WCQ: Ghana will definitely take their chance against Nigeria in Kumasi, says Addo

Ghana’s interim coach, Otto Addo, is highly expectant to snatch the victory against Nigeria in Kumasi on Friday in the World Cup qualifying duel.

Addo in shields the ball from DaMarcus Beasley in a 2006 World Cup game between Ghana and the USA
Addo, right, played 15 times for Ghana, including here at the 2006 World Cup

Despite this wealth of experience, the coaching staff are facing what on paper looks like a mammoth task in light of what happened at the AFCON. Having just four days to work with the team before the first match, there will be little in the way of actual changes to the squad that disappointed in Cameroon.

However, Addo is expected to make more subtle changes, relying less on his veteran stars like the Ayew brothers (Andre is 32, Jordan is 30) and giving younger players like Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (26) of Bundesliga 2 side St. Pauli, and 19-year-old Roma forward Felix Afena-Gyan more responsibility.

Ghana’s hopes are particularly high for Gyan, who has been described by Roma coach Jose Mourinho as a “diamond in the rough.”

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Addo is confident that his team can get the job done, despite the lack of preparation time.

“We all expect Ghana to qualify for the World Cup, but that won’t be easy as we need to do our best to make it to this tournament,” Addo was quoted by the internet portal ghanasoccernet.com as saying.

“The players, technical team and the Ghana Football Association are committed to this task. We really want to make ourselves and the nation proud by qualifying for this upcoming World Cup.”

However, it is unlikely that Ghana will be able to overrun their opponents with their young attacking players. Nigeria had already appointed an interim coach by the start of the AFCON, with technical director Austin Eguavoen coming in to replace the German, Gernot Rohr. While they were eliminated in the first knockout round at the AFCON, they played a much stronger tournament than Ghana.

“Matches between Ghana and Nigeria are always difficult, but we believe in our players, we believe in our strategies and the unflinching support of Ghanaians as we go into these matches,” Addo said. “We are Ghana and we have what it takes to come out victorious.”

Should Otto Addo’s men come out on top in this battle of the interim bosses, Borussia Dortmund can expect to be fielding more requests from Ghana for him to be released on “loan.”