The Ghana Black Stars are bubbling with confidence and are sure to beat their Sierra Leone counterparts, the Leone Stars in a friendly international soccer match on Saturday in Freetown as part of activities marking the first Ghana-Sierra Leone week.

The week was initiated by the two countries and was officially opened on Friday by the Vice President of Sierra Leone, Mr. Solomon Berewa. Mr Joe Aggrey, the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, who was leading the Ghanaian contingent of 18 players and five officials told the GNA in an interview in Freetown that although 'we are here to promote friendship, there is nothing short than beating our Sierra Leoneans friends. Ghana must emerge victorious because our smiles are being expected back at home.''

When the Black Stars arrived in Freetown, on Thursday, hundreds of Sierra Leoneans invaded the national sports stadium where the Stars were being camped to ascertain the whether they have arrival because it was earlier rumoured that the Stars would not make be able make the trip. Such was their anxieties that one of their fans said the week would have been incomplete without Ghana playing Sierra leone.

"You know, we were expecting them, Doubts greeted us when we heard that the match would not come on. What is the need of the week if Ghana did not play Sierra Leone.''

That could have summed up the frenzy that when the Stars trained yesterday many spectators thronged the stadium and cheered wildly as if the match itself was in progress.

Mr E.K. Afranie, Coach for the stars after assessing the training declared, "I have a winning team. The local boys worked within a set plan.''

He could neither predict the scores nor tell who was the captain of the Stars since Charles Taylor was injured at the last Black Stars match against Rwanda in Accra, which Charles captained the Stars. Sierra leoneans Captain Kemokai Kallon said he would not predict a score but he was sure his side would leave the stadium undefeated.

He said: "it is football, anything can happen. The field will decide."