Mensah coping fine with Stars pressure

Ghana captain John Mensah says the players are coping fine with the pressure that comes with being favourites ahead of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

Mensah is seeking to become the first Ghana captain in 30 years to win the tournament and says while the side is keen and confident that they can win the trophy they are not allowing that to be a burden.

"It will be an honour to do that but I always say you take one game at a time", he told KickOffGhana. "We have to go into the tournament with the utmost respect for every team but also believe in what we can do and then everything will follow."

The Stars have been preparing for the tournament at the world class facilities of the Roya Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenburg. The first week has been an intense mix of two daily sessions and a lot of off the field work.

It is a lot of hard work, but Mensah says the players are used to that. "We have all played in major tournaments previously so we know it requires some sacrifices. We are here to prepare for a tournament and we are focused on just that."