‘We still have it in our hands’ – Otto Addo confident Ghana will beat Mali
Black Stars Head Coach Otto Addo says he remains confident about Ghana’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite the team’s setback in their last qualifier against Chad.
Ghana were held to a disappointing draw in that fixture, but still top Group I with 16 points. Comoros sit second with 15 points, Madagascar are third on 13, Mali fourth with 12, the Central African Republic fifth with five points, while Chad remain bottom with a single point.
Speaking ahead of Ghana’s clash with Mali on Monday at the Accra Sports Stadium, Addo admitted the Chad result had left the team frustrated but said lessons had been learnt.
“The entire team felt very disappointed after the draw against Chad because there were high expectations for us to win. We have analysed the game very well and hope we have learnt from this. Surely it is easy to play at home with our spectators supporting us and players giving their maximum best.
“I expect something different from the players this time around, and I hope we learnt from our mistake against Chad. The good thing is we still have it in our own hands and we have to keep the pace high. It will be very difficult against Mali who are in good shape,” he said.
Pressed on concerns about his future if Ghana fail to win, Addo dismissed speculation.
“These statistics are of no use, especially when there are friendly games in between, where we use all kinds of players to test. I don’t think they are really usable. I’m not afraid of anything, just God. So, I’m very sure we’ll show a different face, and we’ll win,” he stated.
The Black Stars will be without Sulemana Ibrahim and Elisha Owusu, who miss the match through injury and suspension respectively. Addo also gave an update on Derrick Kohn, who is awaiting FIFA clearance, and confirmed that Thomas Partey and Alexander Djiku had recovered after missing the Chad match.
Kick-off for Ghana’s encounter with Mali is scheduled for 19:00 GMT at the Accra Sports Stadium.
