Princesses wary of Ethiopia threat

Ghana's Black Princesses are expecting a very tough battle in Adis Ababa when they take on their Ethiopian counterparts but they insist they are ready for the challenge as they remain resolute in their pursuit of a ticket to next year’s Under-20 Women's World Cup (WWC).

Tomorrow at the Adis Ababa National Stadium, the Princesses will attempt to clear the first of two final hurdles against the Ethiopians as they clash in the final round of the U-20 WWC qualifiers.

With the stakes so high, the Princesses are taking nothing for granted in this final hurdle, aware that any slip could prove costly in the end.

Yesterday, the team emplaned for Adis Ababa and head coach Masa-Ud Didi Dramani did not mince words when he emphasised the need to play for a good result in this crucial away game.

Comparatively, the two sides are streets apart, but given that in football anything could happen, and the Princesses may also find the high altitude in Adis Ababa a bit challenging, Coach Dramani modestly says at this point their focus will be on results and not their performance or quality play.

"Final rounds are always tricky as at this point everyone wants to do whatever it takes to have the advantage. We are going to Ethiopia with that in mind too. We want an advantage: a drawn result would be good, but a win no matter how slim, will be better," Coach Dramani told the Graphic Sports.

Having recorded a tale of two halves in their qualifier against Equatorial Guinea in Kumasi - struggling in the first half but turning on the heat and winning 2-0 in the second -- Coach Dramani is hoping they will have a 90-minute performance that will help them get the desired results, stressing they may not necessarily be playing exciting football.

"The weather places us at a disadvantage, so we have to conserve energy to be able to hold them for the entire duration of the game. We need to have 100 per cent concentration from start to finish, so that at the end it will be an advantage for us. We intend to play a compact game that will not see us run too much. They are a fast side, and the only way to contain them in that weather will be to slow them down," Coach Dramani revealed.

While Ethiopia and Ghana slug it out, Nigeria and South Africa will also clash in Johannesburg for the other slot in Africa's two spots for the October 28 to November 18, 2016 event.