Ghana coach braces for tough game

Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah has put his charges on guard saying their 2013 Africa Cup of Nations’ final round qualifiers against the Flames next month will not be easy.

The Black Stars mentor told OMGGhana.com that he is aware of the tricky nature of the modern game, insisting that they will brace themselves for a tough qualifying contest next month.

He also said although the Flames are ranked 22 places below the Black Stars on the continent, the statistics mean nothing to him.

“Malawi is a very good side and underrating them could be deadly.

“We played them during our build-up for the [2010] Africa Cup of Nations and they proved to be a tough side,” said Appiah.

The Black Stars will be playing at home in the first leg on September 9, but such is Appiah’s sense of caution that he is not counting on home comforts to determine the outcome of the tie.

“The fact that we are playing at home does not give any team a special edge, we’ll need to prepare very well for the game.

“Any team who have made it to this stage must be good enough and we will walk into the game with such an approach and our sight on good results and qualification,” he said.

The Black Stars have lined up an international friendly match against China in Beijing on August 15 as part of their preparations for the Flames.

Meanwhile, Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has said it has finalised arranging an international friendly match against Uganda’s Cranes on the same date.

FAM chief executive officer Suzgo Nyirenda on Thursday confirmed that all the logistics for the match have now been finalised.

“I can now safely say that we have secured a friendly match against Uganda. It will be played on August 15 at Kamuzu Stadium.

“Uganda are one of the strongest teams in East Africa and they will definitely help us to tune up for Ghana,” said Nyirenda.