We cannot underrate Malawi- Atsu

Rising Ghana star Christian Atsu says the Black Stars cannot afford to underrate Malawi ahead of September's 2013 Nations Cup final qualifier.

Ghana were paired with lowly-ranked Malawi at Thursday's draw in Johannesburg.

Malawi's best result against Ghana came in a 0-0 draw with a second string Ghana side in 2010.

The Flames are yet to make an impact on the continent but have made two Nations Cup appearances in 1984 and 2010.

Atsu wants the Black Stars to approach the game with all seriousness.

"We have to approach the game with all seriousness. In modern football you cannot underrate any team," Atsu, who is on pre-season with FC Porto, told MTNFootball.com

"We have to work hard enough to enough we qualify."

The 20-year-old scored on his Ghana debut in the 7-0 thumping of Lesotho in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier last month.