Chris Hughton begins his stint as head coach of Ghana with a mouth-watering Africa Cup of Nations qualifying clash against Angola at Kumasi’s Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Thursday.
The Irishman, who boasts a wealth of experience under his belt, will hope to hit the ground running as the Black Stars begin their quest for a 10th consecutive AFCON appearance.
The four-time AFCON champions kicked off their qualifying campaign with a 3-0 thrashing of Madagascar in June 2022, but quickly ran out of steam as they were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Central African Republic four days later.
Like Thursday’s hosts, Angola have also picked up four points from a possible six in their AFCON qualifying journey so far, only dropping points in a cagey 1-1 draw with Madagascar back in June 2022.
Ghana and Angola are currently separated only by goal difference at the top of Group E, making this midweek contest nicely poised and a potential decider in their race for a spot in Ivory Coast.
However, the Black Stars hold a slight edge heading into the game, given that they have won each of their last six home matches across all competitions since a goalless draw with Nigeria in March 2022.
Ghana Team
For his first game in charge, Hughton has called up a star-studded 25-man list, including skipper and Nottingham Forest striker Andre Ayew, who boasts 24 goals in 113 appearances to date.
3Black StarsThomas Partey, who has been pivotal in Arsenal’s Premier League title charge, has also been summoned, alongside a host of England-based attackers like Jordan Ayew, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Antoine Semenyo.
In defence, Brighton & Hove Albion full-back Tariq Lamptey will be hoping to team up with league rivals Daniel Amartey and Mohammed Salisu, while Mohammed Kudus, who has caught the eye in the Eredivisie, will certainly be one to keep an eye on.
Angola Team
Meanwhile, Angola have named an experience-rich squad for their crunch fixtures, including 37-year-old goalkeeper Hugo Marques, who has made 18 appearances since his debut in August 2011.
Dala, has scored two of the Black Antelopes’ three goals in the qualifiers and the Al-Wakrah striker, who now has 14 international goals to his name, will be tasked with delivering in attack alongside former Leeds United man Helder Costa.
Goncalves has also given room for a few new faces, including the likes of Pedro Agostinho, Bruno Paz, and Casa Pia midfielder Beni Mukendi, who will be hoping to put on the nation’s colours for the very first time.
Prediction
Ghana head into the midweek clash with a star-studded squad capable of comfortably getting the job done. While Angola are no pushovers, the Black Stars should be too difficult to handle and so we see Hughton kicking off his reign at the helm of affairs on a high.
Ghana possible starting lineup:
Ati; Lamptey, Amartey, Salisu, Mensah; Partey, Samed; Sulemana, Kudus, J Ayew; Williams
Angola possible starting lineup:
Marques; Buatu, Gaspar, Ndefe, Afonso; Fredy, Show, Luz; Dala, Costa, Papel
Source: sportsmole.co.uk
