Ghana Coach, Kwesi Appiah insists the Black Stars will churn out a better performance when they play Mali in a must -win Group B game in Port Elizabeth on Thursday.
The Black Stars face an early exit at the biannual gathering unless they can pluck all three points off Mali, leaders of Group B in the game billed for the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Appiah, leading the Stars for the first time as head coach told GNA Sports “you will see a different Ghana against Mali. We have psyched up the players, though we know it is not going to be easy, they (players) are willing to give off their best”.
The Coach understands the importance of winning against Mali, in their quest to keep their dream of ending Ghana’s fifth Nations Cup glory, insisting “we will go into the game and give off our best performance yet.’”
On the Mali team, he said: “They (Mali) have got a good team. We played them twice at the last competition in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. So far, they are one of the three countries with a win.
“We saw Mali against Niger, though we cannot depend on that 100-per cent, we have to map out our own plan going into the game. We will go out there and give off our best.”
Quizzed on whether he plans to shift midfielder, Kwadwo Asamoah from his current left back position back to midfield, Appiah stayed coy on his real intent.
“I have always said Asamoah is a utility player. It is not easy to have such quality in a team. The nature of opposition will determine his usage.”
Ghana relinquished a 2-0 lead to tie their Group B opener with Democratic Republic of Congo last Sunday to pick only a point from a possible three.
(By Veronica Commey, GNA Special Correspondent in Port Elizabeth, courtesy Ministry of Youth and Sports)