Ghana coach Otto Addo has affirmed confidence in his team’s chances of victory against Nigeria despite the absence of some of their best legs, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigeria lock horns with close rivals Ghana on Friday in an international friendly match in Marrakech. The fixture has always been an intense one because of the usual comparisons between both countries in terms of culture, entertainment and other fields.
Ahead of the game, Nigeria’s interim coach, Finidi George, called up 26 players. However, stars like Victor Osimhen, Taiwo Awoniyi, and Tyrone Ebuehi pulled out because of injury.
Ghana also have their problems, as their star man Mohammed Kudus is out. Also, Arsenal star Thomas Partey, who recently returned from a long injury lay-off, was excluded. Joseph Paintsil was also left out because he had just changed clubs. Inaki Williams was not selected because he wanted to rest.
Despite these absences, the Black Stars still have some good legs like Antoine Semenyo, Jordan Ayew, Denis Odoi, and Tariq Lamptey.
Ahead of the game, coach Addo has voiced his belief in his team. He also believes that the absences will give other players an opportunity to showcase their talents.
“It’s a pity that we don’t have some of our players. Surely, we would always want to go with our strongest squad when we play against Nigeria. But for me, I am always looking for opportunities, and it is ab opportunity for each and every new player in the squad to show himself,” Addo said.
“I’m not thinking about who could be here and who could help us. I am looking at the reality, and this is a squad with a lot of experienced players but also a lot of young players who are on their way up and can show me and themselves what level and stage they can play.”
Coach Finidi has to be wary of the threat that Ghana possesses, especially in the final third, as Semenyo is in the form of his life at Bournemouth. He would likely be the outlet for Ghana, and the Super Eagles have to find a way to cage him.
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