Hughton expects the return of injured players to help the Black Stars.
Coach Chris Hughton of Ghana is still optimistic that a number of significant Black Stars players who were sidelined for the team’s game against Madagascar will make a full recovery in time for their critical AFCON qualifier against the Central African Republic.
The team’s inability to win led to a scoreless tie, delaying their qualification until they play the Central African Republic in September.
Tariq Lamptey, Antoine Semenyo, Baba Abdul Rahman, Inaki Williams, and Alexander Djiku were all injured prior to the game and were unable to participate in Ghana’s team. The team doctor verified that Gideon Mensah’s continued fitness issues prevented him from playing. He was also eliminated.
Coach Hughton underlined his will to rethink his team’s plan and attitude for the last qualifier in the wake of the disappointing draw, emphasizing the necessity of going all-out for a victory. He continues to believe that the injured players will make a quick recovery in order to strengthen the team and provide them more choices for the important game.
“Winning is our game plan for the upcoming match. At home, we are having fun. We are aware that we must succeed and that there will be consequences if we lose the game. After this, we take a break.
We will be prepared for the game in September after the players return to their clubs and begin preseason. We hope that the players who are absent today will be available in September. We will face Central African Republic in another challenging game, and we must prevail, Hughton remarked.
Angola is second on the standings with eight points, followed by the Central African Republic with seven points, while Madagascar is last with two points. Ghana is first on the leaderboard with nine points.
To guarantee their spot in the upcoming AFCON qualification, which will be held in Ivory Coast in 2019, the Black Stars must avoid defeat.
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