The Black Stars of Ghana on Thursday, March 23, will welcome their counterpart from Angola to the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.
The match will be the first of two games to be played in the March international break.
The two games are being played in Group E of the qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.
To start this preview, we look at how both national teams have prepared for the Thursday encounter.
The hosts, Ghana, started training for the clash on Monday when just 9 out of 25 players reported to camp.
However, on Tuesday, Coach Chris Hughton had 24 players in camp and trained with them with the help of his two assistants George Boateng and Didi Dramani, as well as the goalkeeper’s trainer and the physical instructors.
Later on Wednesday, the coach had the full complement of the 25 players he invited for the Angola assignment.
For Angola, the side commenced preparations in Luanda on Monday and continued on Tuesday before travelling to Ghana on Wednesday.
So far, the side led by head coach Pedro Goncalves is confident they are well-prepared to upset Ghana.
Head-To-Head:
Ghana and Angola in the history of the game have only met twice. The first was in 2009 when the national teams of the two countries played a friendly match.
The game ended in a goalless draw.
The following year, Ghana and Angola met in the quarter-finals of the 2010 AFCON.
The Black Stars knocked out their counter with a 1-0 win courtesy of a solitary strike from dangerous striker Asamoah Gyan.
Group E standings so far:
Pitted in the same Group, Ghana and Angola are fighting for the top Group E spot. After two games, the two countries are tied at the top with four points.
In Thursday’s game, the winner will open a three-point gap at the top of the standings.
It is what makes the game very important.
Black Stars probable starting eleven;
Lawrence Ati-Zigi (G), Dennis Odoi, Gideon Mensah, Alexander Djiku, Daniel Amartey, Thomas Partey, Edmund Addo, Mohammed Kudus, Joseph Paintsil, Jordan Ayew, Inaki Williams.
Match details:
The clash between Ghana and Angola is scheduled to kick off at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Thursday, March 23.
The game will kick off at 16:00gmt.