A decisive win came at an expensive price for the Czech Republic in their opening World Cup match.

Now without both their starting strikers, the Czechs try to pick up another three points Saturday when they play Ghana in a Group E match at Cologne, Germany.

The Czech Republic was one of the more impressive teams in the opening matches of the World Cup, routing the United States 3-0 on Monday. The joy of gaining three points was tempered with the loss of injured striker Jan Koller, who strained his right hamstring in the 45th minute and writhed on the ground in pain before being taken off on a stretcher.

The 6-foot-7 Koller, who scored on a thunderous header from close range in the fifth minute to open the scoring, is expected to be sidelined until at least the quarterfinals.

"For this injury to heal, it's essential to have rest," Koller said Wednesday. "It needs time. I'll have absolute rest until Saturday and then we'll see. It isn't good but it could be better in three days.

"I can't walk without pain," he added. "I've been undergoing rehabilitation, electrotherapy, magnetic therapy to get healthy. Doctors gave me hope that I could be fine. Muscle injuries are unpredictable and I've got to wait."

The Czechs played Monday without fellow first-choice striker Milan Baros, who has practiced just once with the team since arriving in Germany because of a strained tendon in his left foot. He has been ruled out of this match, leaving 6-foot-7 Vratislav Lokvenc as a likely starter up front against the "Black Stars."

"I'm ready. We've got 23 players here and everybody wants to play," said Lokvenc, who appeared as Koller's substitute Monday and has 14 goals in 73 international appearances. "Our opponent's a tough one. We'll have to be uncompromising in defense and score the first goal."

Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech, who was barely challenged by the underwhelming U.S. offense, expects to see more action with Chelsea teammate and midfielder Michael Essien controlling Ghana's offense. Cech, though, refuses to talk to his teammate until after this match.

"He's a nice guy. He keeps smiling. We have a good relationship but that means nothing ahead of the match," Cech said of Essien. "I will talk to him after the match. I hope I'll be the happy one."

Ghana needs a win to have any realistic chance of advancing to the knockout round in its first World Cup appearance. The "Black Stars" were thoroughly outclassed in their 2-0 loss to Italy, one that could have been worse if the Italians had better finishing.

"We lost the last game tactically," said Ghana midfielder Stephen Appiah. "We were naive tonight and gave the ball away too much in dangerous areas. We have to learn from our mistakes for the next games."

Matthew Amoah will retain his place in the starting lineup despite having just two shots in 67 minutes Monday. Ghana coach Ratomir Dujkovic still has confidence in the Borussia Dortmund striker, who has seven goals in 17 international appearances.

"Matthew Amoah is our best scorer and we always expect him to score," Dujkovic said. "In this particular match he didn't score, but maybe in the next match he will."

Ghana's defense also will have to contend with a similar height disadvantage it encountered against Italy. The "Black Stars" were especially vulnerable on the left flank, where 5-foot-9 defender Emmanuel Pappoe had all sorts of troubles marking Italy's forwards on crosses.

"We had problems on the left with our short player. The Italians used a tall player against him and he passed him every time," Dujkovic said.

The Czechs will close Group E play June 22 in a highly anticipated match with Italy at Hamburg, Germany, while Ghana will complete group play the same day against the United States.