Stars to impress Appiah in Ghana-Montenegro pre-World Cup clash

The alacrity with which some top Black Stars players stormed the team’s camp for today’s friendly with Montenegro was ample testimony of the extent to which the World Cup fever has gripped the Ghanaians barely 100 days to the historic parade in Brazil.

For the first time, Germany-based Kevin-Prince Boateng is said to have flown to Italy at the weekend to watch the influential quartet of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Kwadwo Asamoah and Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu play after which they jetted straight in a chartered flight to join their teammates for today’s pre-World Cup trial in the Montenegro capital of Podgorica at 17:00 GMT (5pm Ghana time). 

The rich parade of the Ghana team, ranked 37 in the world, clearly signals a fierce scramble for positions in Kwasi Appiah’s final squad as the Stars hope to put up a spectacular performance against the tough Balkan nation to prove a point in this first test.

Beyond this evening’s engagement, an even tougher European challenge awaits the Ghanaians at the Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam on May 31, followed by others against Honduras and Costa Rica before facing old foes USA in a Group G opener in Natal on June 16.

The balanced Ghana team gives Coach Appiah a wide range of options to really assess some players against Coach Branko Brnovic’s Brave Falcons which lost the keen Group H qualifying battle to England and Ukraine.

In the absence of first choice Fatau Dauda, Norway-based Adam Kwarasey is tipped to start the game ahead of uncapped Stephen Adams, while the tested central defenseive pair for John Boye and Jonathan Mensah might as well be given the chance to test their fitness level after a long lay-off.

The lateral defence will consist of the regular duo of Daniel Opare and Samuel Inkoom, and David Addy, but the same cannot be said of the hot midfield which still remains the Stars’ engine room.

Coach Appiah’s headache will be about who to choose ahead of the other with such classy performers as Essien, Boateng, Asamoah, Muntari, Agyemang-Badu, Andre Dede Ayew, Mubarak Wakaso and silky Christian Atsu all ready to fly.

Depending on the coach approach to the game, Skipper Asamoah Gyan will surely lead the Stars attack alone or alongside slippery Abdul Majeed Waris.

A line-up of Kwarasey, Opare, Inkoom, Mensah, Boye, Essien, Muntari, Asamoah, Ayew, Gyan and Waris looks probable for the threat posed by Montenegro, ranked 52nd on the latest FIFA Rankings.