Preview
Ghana’s national U-20 football team, Black Satellites, must tomorrow win away in Gabon if they are to progress into next year’s African Youth Championship.
Coach Sellas Tetteh’s side now have a slim advantage after failing to win at home in the first leg and the task appears herculean as they seek to crack open the tough Gabonese side who held the Ghanaians to a goalless drawn game last week.
After naming his 18-man squad for the game last Wednesday, Sellas Tetteh, still sees light at the end of the tunnel by declaring that his attitude to each game is to win.
Similar mentality must be deployed to Saturday’s game as he lines up an array of local stars, including King Faisal striker Sulley Mohammed, who missed the first leg through an injury, Latif Abubakar, Owusu Bempah, Prosper Kassim, Asiedu Attobrah and Eric Kumi to lead the assault at the Gabonese capital.
Although Coach Tetteh is noted for leading the U-20 side to great feats, including winning both the African Youth Championship and the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2009, his side’s unimpressive performance in the first leg match in Accra has raised doubts about the team’s potential to respond to this year’s continental roll call.
The result of first leg match put the Ghanaian coach in a tight position and he needs to plot a winning strategy and inspire his charges to ensure the team is not left out in the continental championship next year.
The strong Gabonese defenders who were able to contain the attack of the Satellites in Accra will hope the tide will be against the visitors in order to play a more relaxed game this time around, as they seek home comfort to progress.
History favours the Gabonese, especially having progressed at the expense of Rwanda on a similar outcome, having drawn away to Rwanda and then defeating them at home to face Ghana in the final round of qualifiers.
From the kind of opposition the Gabonese team gave the Ghanaians in the first leg, it appears they are a tactically disciplined side that plays with a much defensive mind and rely on counter attack to defeat their opponents and the Satellites defence must work tirelessly on the day to prevent any attack.
