Benin coach Michel Dussuyer believes star man Stéphane Sessègnon will be a big miss for their clash against Ghana on Tuesday.

However, the French manager is confident he has adequately prepared his side to cope in his absence.

The Squirrels captain will be serving his last suspension of three games after being sent off against Algeria in their fourth group game during the qualifiers.

The 34-year-old sat out of the games against Gambia and Togo and will miss the AFCON opener against the Black Stars in Ismailia to complete his suspension.

“Of course the absence of certain players in the team is affecting us but we know our first game is against Ghana and we are determined to give a good account of our game and we have prepared for that so that the absence won’t affect us” Michel told reporters in his pre-match presser.

Sessègnon will be available to face Guinea Bissau and Cameroon in their subsequent Group F fixtures in Egypt.