Preview: Can Black Stars survive Sudan threat?

The absence of influential Black Stars midfielder, Thomas Partey, could affect Coach Charles Kwablan Akonnor’s team, because it will create a huge void that needs to be filled in today’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Sudan at the Cape Coast Stadium.

The game, which will be played behind closed doors per a CAF directive, will miss the £45m Arsenal enforcer, who reportedly picked up a minor sprain in his ankle while playing against Aston Villa in the English Premier League last Sunday.

Partey’s absence forced the Ghanaian gaffer to hurriedly revise his notes, leading to the late call-up of old warrior, Afriyie Acquah, whose illustrious career has seen him featuring prominently in the Italian Serie A and currently with Turkish side, Yeni Malatyaspor, where he has featured consistently in all eight games so far played this season.

History

This afternoon’s game is historic in the sense that it will be Akonnor’s first competitive game since his appointment early this year, having received a reality check on his debut international friendly against the Eagles of Mali via a 0-3 walloping in Turkey last month. Not even the 5-1 thrashing of Qatar by the Stars in a similar friendly a few days later could assuage the pain of the Malian humiliation.

That is why the 46-year-old Ghanaian trainer and his men have no choice than to compensate Ghanaians with a convincing victory to consolidate their gains on the Group C table. The Black Stars presently occupy the summit of the Group C log with six points from victories against South Africa (2-0 at home) and Sao Tome and Principe (1-0 away) under former coach Kwasi Appiah exactly a year ago, while their North Africa opponents boast of three points.

Head-to-head

Equally interesting is the fact that the Falcons of Jediane have never won a game against the Black Stars in Ghana, with their last victory over Ghana occurring in 2003 at the El Merreikh Stadium in Omdurman during an AFCON qualifier.

Previous statistics of eight wins in 11 games for the Black Stars also puts them ahead of their Sudanese counterparts, though the visitors’ two home victories in the records could motivate them to push for an upset in the absence of the vocal home fans.

Obviously, the late withdrawals could weigh against the Stars’ chances in today’s game, hence the need for old guards such as skipper Andre Ayew, Jordan Ayew, John Boye, Baba Abdul Rahman, Afriyie Acquah and Samuel Owusu could vindicate Akonnor.

The coach of Sudan, Hubert Velud, has not hidden his intention to cause an upset following the early arrival of his team in the country, coupled with the invitation of two foreign-based players - Italy-based Ammar Tayfour and Mohamed Abdel-Rahman of Algerian side Ahly Burj Bou Arriredj - to help rewrite the script.
 
Ghana vrs Sudan past record

Date             Match                      Result              Competition
01 Dec 1963     Ghana v Sudan          3-0         Africa Cup of Nations
16 Feb 1970     Sudan v Ghana          1-0         Africa Cup of Nations
13 Jun 1983     Ghana v Sudan          3-1          Presidents Cup
25 Feb 2001     Sudan v Ghana          1-0          FIFA World Cup
15 Jul 2001     Ghana v Sudan           1-0           FIFA World Cup
20 Jun 2009     Sudan v Ghana          0-2          FIFA World Cup
06 Sep 2009     Ghana v Sudan          2-0          FIFA World Cup
10 Oct 2010     Ghana v Sudan          0-0          Africa Cup of Nations
08 Oct 2011     Sudan v Ghana          0-2         Africa Cup of Nations
24 Mar 2013     Ghana v Sudan          4-0         FIFA World Cup
07 Jun 2013     Sudan v Ghana          1-3          FIFA World Cup