Ghana’s long standing rivalry with Nigeria returns on Friday at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium when both teams meet in the first leg of a third round African 2022 World Cup qualifying tie.
Kick-off is at 19h30 GMT
Ghana made to the final phase of the World Cup qualifications after beating South Africa 1-0, in a victory that leapfrogged them past Bafana Bafana.
The Black Stars come into the match after a disastrous performance in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations where they were eliminated debutants Comoros in the group finale.
Otto Addo’s men are optimistic ahead of the clash as they try and secure their place in Qatar. They last qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 2014 where they exited in the group stage after picking up a solitary point from three games.
The Black Stars have struggled in the recent outings losing three and claiming one draw from their most recent four games.
“We really want to make ourselves and the nation proud by qualifying for this upcoming World Cup. Matches between Ghana and Nigeria are always difficult but we believe in our players, we believe in our strategies and we believe in the unflinching support of all Ghanaians as we go into these two matches,” said Ghana coach Otoo Addo.
“We all expect Ghana to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar 2022 but that won’t be easy as we need to do our best to make it to this tournament. The players, the technical team and the Ghana Football Association are committed to this task.”
Nigeria, meanwhile, went unbeaten in all but one of their six games in the World Cup qualifiers, picking up four wins and one draw to collect 13 points to finish top of Group C, two points above runners-up Cape Verde.
The Super Eagles have been regulars at the FIFA World Cup recently, making it to the last three editions of the prestigious tournament.
They are five spots for grabs, but Nigeria and Ghana know that they cannot both progress and that something is going to have to give when they lock horns.
Nigeria showed promise in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations after topping a tough group that had Egypt, Sudan and Guinea-Bissau. They were unexpectedly by Tunisia in the Round of 16 of the competition.
The Super Eagles will have enjoyed a thorough preparation for the match, though the absence of goalkeeper Maduka Okoye is a headache for Augustine Eguavoen, especially considering Ghana’s attacking riches.
“I’ve followed the Ghanaian team for quite a while, very talented and good football players, and there won’t be any much differences in their style of play, but of a mind game, it’s okay if they choose to play that, but I want to assure Nigerians we will fight and work hard to make sure Nigeria fly at the Qatar 2022,” the former Nigeria international said.
In head-to-head stats, Ghana and Nigeria have met in 56 matches across all competitions dating back as far as 1950. The Black Stars have 25 wins compared to 12 for the Super Eagles, while 19 games have been drawn.
