Paradoxically, Ghana will be playing their first game of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournament which started on January 10th.
That is because one of the section’s contestants, Togo, withdrew from the competition after suffering a deadly bus attack two days before it all commenced.
Burkina Faso, La Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana now complete Group B’s trio of participating nations. Burkina Faso and La Cote d’Ivoire opened that group with a goalless draw whereas Ghana had to wait until Day 2 to play as their opener against Togo got cancelled.
Finally, Ghana will kick off their 2010 Africa Cup of Nations on Friday and LiveSoccerTV.com previews this captivating clash.
Cote d’Ivoire vs Ghana 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Match Preview
As one of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations favorites Ghana will be paying their first match of the tournament, and as the encounter will mark Friday’s only fixture, the public’s focus will solely be based on what happens at the Estadio Chimandela in Cabinda, at 18:30 GMT.
The Elephants – will they fall down or crash the Black Stars with their feet?
Was it because of controversial officiating that La Cote d’Ivoire were kept barren in their opening match against Burkina Faso?
Was it “shock and lack of concentration” (refers to the Togo tragedy), as captain Didier Drogba explained, that held the Elephants of La Cote d’Ivoire to a disappointing goalless draw?
For some people, the reason behind The Elephants’ disappointing start at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations is can be explained by the belief that the team is yet to adopt the ‘fighting spirit’ that will be needed to triumph in Angola.
As Group B has been cut from four teams to three, Friday’s encounter against Ghana will mark La Cote d’Ivoire’s final group match.
A loss will surely knock them out of the tournament but as Jacques Anoma (president of the Ivorian Football Federation) reckoned, “the president and the people of the country will not accept that”.
The horrible prospective fate of heading home so early from Angola despite being regarded as favorites should drive La Cote d’Ivoire to put on a real show on Friday.
It will be the battle of mentality, a battle between their own desire and potential of which the sole aim will be to defeat Ghana.
Ghana – Young shining stars led by Essien can bring darkness in Cote d’Ivoire
It seems like confidence is high in the Ghanaian camp. Black Stars coach, Milovan Rajevac, boldly revealed his side’s intentions of winning as he looked ahead of this captivating fixture.
The Serbian boss declared:
"We’ll give our best on Friday and we’ll try to win. For them [Cote d’Ivoire] this result [the 0-0 draw with Burkina Faso] is not the best. Against us, they will try to win and we too will do our best.
"We want to win this competition. Therefore, this first game will be interesting; we will pit our very young team against one of the best and most experienced sides in Africa."
Ghana’s 2010 Africa Cup of Nations squad is the most inexperienced ever to compete at a major tournament in the country’s history. The average year of the Black Stars is just under 24 with eight players being 20-years-of age or less.
A great start to their 2010 Angola campaign will write a new page in Ghana’s football records book as many back home do not believe in the youngsters’ abilities to beat experienced men such as Didier Drogba.
Now if some doubters worry about Ghana’s inexperienced youngsters credibility, the news of Michael Essien’s presence should come as a boost.
The Chelsea midfielder was stranded in Europe due to visa issues and poor weather conditions (flights were reportedly cancelled) but he finally touched base in Angola and could play for Ghana against La Cote d’Ivoire.
One player who is set to miss all of Friday’s action on the field of play is Anthony Annan. The midfielder picked up a hamstring injury during training last Sunday and might only return for Ghana’s game against Burkina Faso on January 19th.
