Can the Stars survive the odds?

Luanda, Angola, Jan. 22, GNA - If there is one major situation that every participant in a competition will try to avoid it is when one plays against the host nation at every level except the unavoidable grand finals. The Black Stars of Ghana will, however, have no option than to line up against the Palancras Negras of Angola at the 11th November Sports Stadium in the southern part of Luanda on Sunday, January 24.

The Stars will not only be playing against the eleven players of the Angolan national team, but the entire population of the oil rich country, who will be represented at the newly constructed magnificent 50,000 capacity stadium with their whistles and vuvezelas amidst loud cheers throughout the entire duration of the game.

Indeed the atmosphere at the stadium on the day can overwhelm any team no matter the calibre of players at its disposal and the Stars will be no exception on Sunday.

The Stars will be coming up against a team that has played so well in the competition with much fluidity and confidence and a direct comparison of the Angolans to the performance of the Stars put them ahead of the Ghanaians in terms of statistics.

With three matches played, the Angolans have scored six goals and conceded four goals and the tournament's leading scorer Flavio who has so far scored four goals alongside Manucho in their camp also with two goals to his credit.

From the statistics this is a team with a very formidable attacking force even though their defence can be suspect, which of course cannot take anything away from the team because they conceded those goals against Mali in the opening game which many attributed to lack of concentration. The Angolans seem to have overcome the conceding of goals and this was clearly indicated in their last two matches and if their attributes are anything to go by then the Stars will have a match at their hand. However coach Milovan Rajevic, who judging from his records in the Championship of Africa Nations (CHAN) played in Cote d'Ivoire could be said to be a slow starter at tournaments, and can therefore pull a surprise on Sunday with his charges as their confidence has since soared after beating Burkina Faso by a lone goal.

The good news too is that his tactical plans have been boosted by the availability of most of the players who have recovered fully from all sorts of injuries.

Anthony Annan, Hans Adu Sarpei, Asamoah Gyan, Haminu Dramani and Eric Addo have gained full recovery from all manner of discomforts and barring any unforeseen circumstances they will be ready for selection by Milovan Rajevic against Angola.

With this perfect situation, the question is whether the coach will make any changes to the team that secured the lone goal victory over Burkina Faso or not.

Coach Rajevic told the GNA Sports in Luanda that he is yet to determine his starting line up despite massive recovery of his players but said their output at training will determine the men to do the job.

Should the coach decide to make changes to the team, then it is certain Annan that will be the possible inclusion in the midfield, but should he retain the same team that defeated Burkina Faso, then he is likely to effect tactical changes because he had to counter the free flowing game pattern of the Angolans.

A visit to the training grounds last Thursday by GNA Sports saw the same squad that played against Burkina Faso playing on one side against the rest of members of the team, giving signals of coach Rajevic's plans of using Hans Adu Sarpei and Samuel Inkoom at the lateral defensive roles, whilst Lee Arday and Isaac Vorsah pairs up in central defence.

Agyeman Badu remains the obvious choice to play in front of defence with support from Kwadwo Asamoah, Andre Ayew and Haminu Dramani. No changes will be effected in attack with Mathew Amoah and Asamoah Gyan in front but Dominic Adiyiah and Ransford Osei are possible substitutes in the course of the game.

The coach, in addition seems to have adequate knowledge on the strength of the Angolans after the Stars played them in a friendly, some weeks before the start of the competition and it is this information he is seeking to take advantage of to overcome the host nation.

If the information on the Angolans is anything to go by, then coach 'Milo' will be out to use his charges to clip the wings of the Angolans and kick them out of the competition, though it may sound a daunting task. It will be a daunting task because the Angolan team will have the partisan home crowd solidly behind them and this is enough motivation for them to deliver but Kwesi Nyantakyi, President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) said it will be to the advantage of the Stars. "They will be under pressure to perform and we will capitalize on this to win the game. It is a must win game for the Stars and we are bent on achieving that".

In spite of this, the Stars have so much at stake on Sunday and will have to go the extra mile to achieve their aim if they are to survive the odds.