Tonight in Bamako, Otto Addo’s Black Stars restoration gets underway.
In Tuesday’s press conference, the Black Stars coach seemed assured despite having only trained for five days.
“I’m sure we’re prepared for the match. He expressed his satisfaction with the players’ understanding of our desired style of play. “Although we didn’t have a great AFCON, we still have the quality to compete against them in this difficult away encounter in Mali.
His optimism was unusual, but promising none the less. Unusual given the circumstances at hand.
Otto Addo claims certain players are better than they actually are, but that’s only when considering their Black Stars accomplishments.
Ghana has not yet prevailed in a friendly or competitive football match in 2024.
In a practice match for the Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana and Namibia played to a miserable score of 0-0 to begin the year. The Stars drew with Egypt (2-2), lost to Mozambique (2-2), and drew with Cape Verde (2-1) in the actual competition.
Following AFCON 2023, Ghana’s problems have persisted. In Marrakech, there was a 2-2 draw with Uganda after a 2-1 loss to Nigeria. Otto Addo took leadership of the team for the first two games.
Ghana has lost to nations like Madagascar, Angola, the Central African Republic, and Comoros twice in the last five years: once in the 2021 AFCON and again in the current World Cup Qualifiers last year.
In the last three AFCON tournaments, Ghana has only triumphed in one game—2-0 against Guinea-Bissau.
Furthermore, Ghana has not triumphed over Guinea-Bissau in an AFCON match since 2019.
Otto Addo reminded Ghanaians last week when he unveiled his team that he needed to mend the team’s damaged work ethic and culture and foster unity.
Otto Addo could have provided an explanation of the degree of the Black Stars’ cultural decline if not for his vow of silence. Remaining silent, he remained to himself. I’m happy to adopt that stance.
The amount of labor that needs to be done should not be minimized or hidden. The development of cohesiveness takes time. or across five training sessions.
It requires time.
Otto Addo would have coached the Black Stars in eleven competitive games by 2026, including the final eight World Qualifiers and three group stage matches for the AFCON 2025.
He hasn’t coached a competitive game since his return as of yet. There is nothing to take away from the five training sessions.
Ghanaians should therefore exercise patience and let this team develop. That being said, it is not inappropriate to anticipate a strong effort. Not at all.
The bigger picture is that, unlike in the previous six games, Ghana might win this one and lose the following three.
Yes, the match is significant, but the bigger picture also counts.
Present Positions
With six points from two games, Comoros has emerged as the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers’ unexpected star. They had won 1-0 over Ghana as part of their remarkable journey at the Stade Moroni.
Following up a convincing 3-1 victory over Chad in November, Mali lost a 1-1 draw with the Central African Republic. The Malians have four points from their first two games, good for second position.
Although Madagascar, whom Ghana defeated in November, has the same number of points as the four-time African champions, they have a better goal differential.
The Central African Republic defeated Chad 1-0 on Wednesday. Due to this outcome, Ghana is now in fifth place in the group and needs to win in Bamako in order to maintain its position.
Head-to-Head
There have been ten meetings between the two teams. Of those encounters, Ghana has won five, lost three, and the other two have resulted in draws.
With goals from Kwadwo Asamoah and Matthew Amoah, Ghana defeated the opposition 2-0 in Bamako to win the first-ever World Cup qualifier between the two teams. In front of 39,000 fans at Baba Yara Stadium, the two teams played an enthralling 2-2 draw in the rematch. Anthony Annan and Matthew Amoah scored for Ghana, who had already qualified for the World Cup.
Mali has, nevertheless, fared better in their last six matches, winning three and losing two.
Mali has won three of the last six games, with two draws and just one loss, while the Black Stars have lost four of them.
Group News
Thomas Partey, the captain of Ghana, is eligible to be selected for the first time in seven months. The midfielder for Arsenal was ruled out of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire due to fitness concerns after missing Ghana’s first two qualifiers in November.
Andre Ayew, a forward, is not eligible for selection since coach Otto Addo left him off the squad.
Both Joseph Paintsil of the Los Angeles Galaxy and Inaki Williams of Athletic Bilbao are out due to injuries.
The players who were unavailable for the international friendlies in March—Amadou Dante, Mohamed Camara, Aliou Dieng, Boubacar Diarra, Adama Traore, and Sekou Koita—have all rejoined the team.
