Matthew Amoah remains positive on Benin/Ghana clash

Matthew Amoah says on no account has it crossed the minds of the Black Stars players to play it soft when they meet “The Squirrels” of Benin in their forthcoming FIFA World/African Cup of Nations qualifying game in Cotonou on Sunday.

The Black Stars have before now qualified for both the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the African Cup of Nations respectively making this game of less consequential in terms of the points buildup for qualification for both tournaments next year but the NAC Breda ace says they would deal with the game with all the seriousness and genuineness that it would need likewise their previous encounters in the FIFA World/African Cup of Nations qualifying games.

“There is still pressure on us to prove to the world that we the players in all honesty did deserve to be at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany,” he told *GHANA FOOTY*. “Despite the fact that we have qualified, we are still going to play the game with all the seriousness that we have played in our other qualifying games and I honestly know thoughts of us losing in Benin has never crossed through the minds of we the players.”

He continued: “We have learnt a lot of lessons from our defeat to Japan in Holland after our win against Sudan and we are very much prepared and confident of going to win in Benin. We beat them in Kumasi in our first game so what stops us from repeating the same performance on Sunday?”

“Commitment, determination and the will to die for Mother Ghana is written all over the faces of the players and I am very optimistic of a very positive result in Benin,” he added.

The Black Stars will miss Inter Milan’s Sulley Muntari through suspension and Sunderland’s John Mensah who is yet to pull through from a thigh injury even though players like Derek Boateng, Rahim Ayew and Moussa Narry have all made a return to the side for the Benin/Ghana encounter.