March 25, (THEWILL) – The day has come for one of the most anticipated matches of the first-leg of the 2022 World Cup playoffs as Ghana hosts arch-rivals Nigeria in Kumasi.
The suspense connected with matches between the West African heavyweights has gone a notch higher since it is not only pride and bragging rights at risk in the two-legged epic fight, but a high-stakes ticket to the biggest sporting event in the globe, the World Cup.
After a disappointing performance at the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, the two countries are eager to reclaim their supporters’ favour by qualifying for Qatar and putting the disappointment of last month’s continental tournament behind them.
The Black Stars recorded their poorest ever AFCON performance, earning only one point in the group stage, with their misery compounded by a humiliating 3-2 loss to the impressive debutants, Comoros.
The Super Eagles may have had a better performance at the group stage of the competition, finishing in top but they lost disappointingly to Tunisia by a lone goal in the Round of 16 to end their six-game unbeaten run.
Ghana has revamped its technical staff since the competition, firing Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac, who was criticised for the team’s lacklustre performance in Cameroon.
Former international player Otto Addo, a second-team coach at German club Borussia Dortmund, has been named as the new national team manager, and he is assisted by former Newcastle manager Chris Hughton, who will serve as a technical advisor for the two games.
It was not a dissimilar move made by the Nigerian Football Federation that rescinded the previous announcement of Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro to add former international winger Emmanuel Amunike to Nigeria’s backroom staff as coach to assist technical adviser Augustine Eguavoen in preparing for the challenging match.
The Black Stars have also bolstered their team, as some players who were unable to participate in the Cameroon tournament due to a variety of circumstances are available for the game against Nigeria.
The Black Stars have recalled Ajax Amsterdam playmaker, Mohammed Kudus and Germany-based Kwesi Wriedt, while AS Roma youngster Felix Afena-Gyan, Fulham defender Denis Odoi, and Hearts of Oak striker Dennis Korsah, have been given initial call-ups.
However, the Black Stars will be without captain Andre Ayew, who is suspended, and Rennes’ brilliant winger Kamaldeen Sulemana, who is injured.
The Black Stars will look on Arsenal superstar Thomas Partey for leadership in the absence of their substantive captain as they seek an emphatic home victory against their arch-rivals.
In like manner, the Super Eagles squad has been bolstered by the return of feared strikers Victor Osimhen of Napoli and Odion Ighalo of Saudi Arabia, who both missed the AFCON.
Ademola Lookman, a former England forward for their youth team, switched allegiance just in time for the game to help the attacking line-up, which also includes Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester.
Due to injury and illness, midfielder Wildfred Ndidi and first-choice goalie Maduka Okoye, respectively, have been ruled out of the match.
Both coaches are expecting a tough pair of games over the two legs. Speaking ahead of the Friday cracker in Kumasi, the former Ghana international winger Addo said: “We all expect Ghana to qualify for the FIFA World Cup (Qatar 2022) but that won’t be easy as we need to do our best to make it to this tournament.
“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.”
Similarly, Eguavoen concedes it would be a difficult encounter, but believes Nigeria has the players to defeat their opponents. He said: “It’s a very crucial match, a lot is at stake. The most important thing is to qualify for the World Cup. We have a strong squad and a large pool of players to choose from.
“The boys are sharp and ready to go. We have to win well against Ghana to get over the line. We will do the talking on the pitch.”
Despite the fact that Ghana has won 25 of their previous 56 meetings, with 19 ending in draws, the Super Eagles are banking on their current form to give them an advantage over the Black Stars. Nigeria has won three of their last five matches, drawn one, and lost the other, while their Friday opponent has lost three games, drawn one, and won one.
On Friday night, the match, scheduled to kickoff at 8:30 pm, will most likely be won by the team with the most determination, as encounters between the two West African titans have no definitive form guide.
The return match will be played on Tuesday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, with the victor of the two games earning one of Africa’s five World Cup tickets to Qatar 2022.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
