The Black Satellites will go all out today determined to overturn a 1-2 loss to their Ethiopian counterparts in Addis Ababa, as the two sides clash at the newly constructed Cape Coast Stadium.
Confident of victory to move to the next stage of the 2017 African Youth Championship qualifiers, both the technical team and players of the Satellites immediately moved into camp at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre for Excellence at Prampram moments after their return from Ethiopia.
Skipper Dauda Mohammed and his teammates have been focusing on their preparation for Sunday’s return leg clash where a win will move the team a step closer to qualifying for the African Championship.
The Ethiopians, who are expected to feature strikers Surafel Awel and Tesfaye Shibenu, are already in Ghana and are battle ready for the Satellites.
Buoyed by their 4-1 victory over Somalia before encountering Ghana, the Ethiopians are likely to adopt a strategy to frustrate the Coach Mas-Ud Dramani’s tactics for an unlikely upset in Cape Coast.
Ethiopia’s coach, Girma Habteyohanes, has psyched up his charges as they plot an upset. In defenders Sintayehu Mengistu, Yared Dawit and Fetudin Jemal, the Ethiopians hope to build a wall to ward off the attacking machinery of the Satellites led by Dauda and Charles Boateng.
Coach Dramani is leaving nothing to chance after inviting France-based Yaw Yeboah to beef up the team ahead of the return leg.
Yeboah spent last season on loan at French Ligue 1 side Lille from Manchester City.
The Satellites coach is confident his players will overturn the first leg deficit on Sunday.
“I commended the boys for a good job in the first leg. Even those of us on the bench were tired because of the altitude so they did well.”
“Securing the qualification is our ultimate goal and I am very hopeful that we will qualify on Sunday,” he said.
The winner over both legs will progress to the third and final round to play the victor of the Tunisia-Senegal tie.
Seven teams are expected to join host Zambia for the final championship which runs between February 26 and March 12, 2017.