AFCON 2026/27 qualifier… Black Stars aim to bounce back against The Gambia tomorrow

Following a 2-0 defeat in the hands of the Elephants of La Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana’s Black Stars would face the Scorpions of The Gambia in another test of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign at the Accra Sports Stadium tomorrow at 4pm.

For close followers of the Stars, the defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in their opening Group C fixture on Thursday makes tomorrow’s fixture a win-or-bust for the Ghanaians who currently languishes at the bottom place on the group table.

Cote d’Ivoire and The Gambia are perched at the top with three points each following their Matchday 1 wins, while the Black Stars, who lost at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké, and Somalia are pointless and occupy the bottom places.

That would keep the pressure mounting on Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz and his charges to not just win but to close the gap on the leaders.

Coach Carlos Queiroz’s preparations was complicated by the unavailability of several established players including Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo, and Jordan Ayew and four others.

In their absence, the team depended on nine additional players, including Jonas Adjetey, Alidu Seidu, Ebenezer Annan, Rockson Yeboah, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Benjamin Tetteh, Felix Afena-Gyan and others to face-off with the Elephants.

But on the battlefield, they lacked the character to stop the Elephants’ roar, leaving the Stars with a tough assignment of beating a rejuvenated Gambia side that is also anxious to cause a stir in Accra.

The Gambia, would approach the second round of matches aware of the importance of securing points in a Group C encounter against Ghana, a side considered one of the favourites from group.

Coming on the back of their 2-1 victory over Somalia in their opening fixture on Friday, they arrived in Accra full of confidence, knowing that their hosts are not in the best of shapes.

But playing at home is expected to provide the Black Stars with a different environment to deliver the results.

Upon arrival from Bouake, the Black Stars returned to the pitch on Saturday to begin preparations for their encounter with The Gambia with a recovery and training sessions.

Training intensified yesterday as Coach Queiroz and his men mapped up strategies to maim the Scorpions who are expected to ride on their physicality to torment the Stars.

Once again, the squad would combine experienced players with emerging talents, giving Queiroz different options as he prepares for the home fixture.

From what was seen, Coach Queiroz may be tempted to effect a few changes in the attacking set-up by starting Afena-Gyan as he aims to make the attack a little more aggressive.

The midfield is another critical area he must look at to enforce some changes and consider the possibility of tweaking the Caleb Yirenkyi and Kwesi Sibo partnership that appeared non-existent in Bouake.

BY ANDREW NORTEY

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