This Friday, both Ghana and Nigeria will commence their journey towards securing one of the coveted berths allotted to African nations at the 2018 World Cup. Fortunately for the Black Stars and the Super Eagles, their first opponents - Comoros and Swaziland respectively - appear, on paper at least, to be no serious obstacle to their ambitions. However, as fans of the beautiful game are all well aware, the unexpected sometimes does become the expected and Friday's hosts will hope to cause major upsets as they take on their esteemed opponents for the first time.
Comoros vs. Ghana
Back in 2006, Ghana first burst onto the major international scene with their first ever appearance at a World Cup. Four years later, the Black Stars joined only two other African nations to reach the quarter-finals, where they were defeated by Uruguay in heart-breaking and rather unfortunate fashion. As such, much was expected of them in Brazil, but not only did their third World Cup end in utter disaster, but also it concluded in disgrace as the team, beset by fighting between players and staff, crashed out of the group stages and their actions left a sour note in many fans' mouths.
Under the guidance of veteran Israeli tactician Avram Grant, Ghana did redeem themselves earlier this year when they made it to the finals of the African Cup of Nations, only to lose to the Ivory Coast on penalties. Now as they hope to make it a fourth straight World Cup appearance, first up on the menu will be Comoros - a team that they have never faced prior to this Friday - and who only became a member of the CAF back in 2003.
Currently ranked 177th as per FIFA's most recent rankings, Comoros, nicknamed Les Coelecantes(a rare type of fish found in the Indian Ocean) have never qualified for a major tournament since being formed in 1979. The only international tournament the tiny nation do feature in is in the Indian Ocean Island Games, in which their best finish was a bronze medal back in 1979 and 1985. Their all-time top scorer with seven goals is Kassim Abdallah, who was born in France and plays his club football Ligue 2 side Evian. Additionally, the 27-year-old, who is a defender by trade has also earned the most caps for the minnows, with 20 since making his debut back in 2007.
All signs indicate to this being a pretty straightforward qualification progression for Ghana, but Comoros will be feeling a spot of confidence having scored a vital away goal to ease past Lesotho in their last match. It will indeed be interesting to see how Grant opts to field his starting XI and if the former Chelsea boss chooses to give younger players a chance or decides to start out strong for the first leg to build up a comfortable buffer for the home fixture next week.
Swaziland vs. Nigeria
With the u-17 Nigerian national team securing yet another World Cup title after defeating Mali in what was only the second-ever all-African final (the first was back in '93 between Nigeria and Ghana), attention now shifts to the senior side as they hope to reach a third straight World Cup tournament. The Super Eagles have undergone some modifications since featuring in Brazil last summer, with the departure of skipper Vincent Enyeama being one of the the biggest changes. Prior to announcing his retirement from the international stage last month, the Lille star had accumulated 101 caps - the most of any for his nation - and his presence between the sticks will be sorely missed.
Along with a new man now in charge of the goalkeeping duties, Nigeria also has a fresh face on the bench. Sunday Oliseh assumed duties of the West African powerhouse back in June and has decided to call upon a mix of veterans and youth as they prepare to take on minnows Swaziland for the first time. Manchester City starlet Kelechi Ihenacho and Seattle Sounders striker Obafemi Martins - making his first appearance in over two years - are among the squad heading to the Somhlolo National Stadium this Friday.
Although Swaziland cruised to an 8-1 aggregate win over Dijibouti to secure their spot in the second qualifying round, Harris Bulunga's men are by far the underdogs. Ranked 130th in the world, they nonetheless did shock Guinea by defeating them 2-1 in an African Cup of Nations Qualifier in June of this year but have never qualified for any major tournament. Naturally, this will be a tough test for the hosts, who will be welcoming the Super Eagles for the first time for this two-legged tie.
Many of the visiting players are well known to the hosts from their exploits both with Nigeria and in some of the world's biggest leagues but one should not expect them just to thrown in the towel with putting up a decent fight. However, given the gulf in class between the two sides, this will represent a chance for Oliseh to give some of the team's fringe players a chance to show they deserve some serious consideration for the upcoming World Cup in less than three years' time.
Both Nigeria and Ghana are by far the heavy favorites in their respective matches, but will Swaziland and Comoros manage to give these two African giants some trouble? Make sure you do not miss out on Comoros vs. Ghana and Swaziland vs. Nigeria by bookmarking our special pages for viewing times and options for your current location.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
Comoros 0 - 0 Ghana
November 13, 2015 7:00amStade International Saïd Mohamed Cheikh de Mitsamiouli (Mitsamiouli)This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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