Ethiopia will be hoping to hit the ground running when they take on Ghana in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers on Friday, away at the Cape Coast Stadium.
The East Africans have never qualified for the World Cup, while Ghana will be hunting for the fourth appearance at the global football showpiece.
Wubetu Abate, the Ethiopia coach, insists that a win over Ghana will pave the way for the Walia Ibex to appear at the 2022 finals.
The experienced gaffer will be looking at the experience of players such as Shimelis Bekele, Abubeker Nassir and Getaneh Kebede.
Ethiopia come into the match in good form at the moment, having secured a win over Uganda and a draw against Sierra Leone in two friendlies played last month.
As for Ghana, they are desperate to come back to winning ways after failing to win their last international matches against Ivory Coast and Morocco.
The Black Stars have set sights on a return to the World Cup after missing out on 2018 edition that was hosted by Russia.
The West Africans will be playing in front of 2,000 spectators as CAF has accepted their request to admit spectators in their match against Ethiopia.
Mohammed Kudus is the player to watch out for in the Ghana team. The attacking midfielder will be eager to help his nation overcome Walia Ibex in the Group G clash.
Charles Akonnor, the Ghana head coach, says his team will not disappoint the fans as they look forward to qualify for next year’s showpiece which will be hosted by Qatar.
“We know all the teams. South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia will do their bit to get there [Qatar]. But we will put in hard work and we know that hard work pays,” Akonnor said.
“The last [World Cup] we went to was in Brazil. We didn’t qualify for the last one. And we are hoping and believing that this is the time for us to be back there.”
The Walia Ibex and Black Stars have locked horns on just four occasions in history with Ethiopia winning one and losing three.
The other Group G clash on Friday sees Zimbabwe welcome South Africa in Harare as the four teams fight to top the table.
