Andre Dede Ayew, captain of the Black Stars, says they are excited to face Portugal in their World Cup group opener in Qatar.
Andre Ayew said at a pre-match news conference that the Black Stars want to begin their campaign with a victory against Portugal on Thursday in Group H.
He believes the encounter against Portugal would be difficult, but the Black Stars will demonstrate their pedigree on the field for 90 minutes. He said that the squad has worked hard and is ready to compete with the best.
“We all know that if we are going to get into this game, Portugal is the one who is favorite on paper.
“But after, we have to show that on paper is not what will happen on the pitch so we are ready.
“We are ready and we know we are playing a big side who were European Champions some years back who have top players. But we believe in ourselves and we know what is ahead of us and we are going to do everything to make it difficult for them,’” he stated at the pre-game conference.
Portugal will be seeking to improve on their 2018 World Cup performance, which saw them eliminated in the second round by Uruguay.
The Selecao is considered one of the favorites to win the tournament, however, they have only made it to the semi-finals twice in their history (1966 and 2006).
Meanwhile, after missing the 2018 edition in Russia, Ghana is back on the greatest platform. The Black Stars are competing in their fourth World Cup after qualifying in 2006.
Ghana has a solid World Cup record, having qualified from their group twice before, including the 2010 World Cup, when they reached the quarter-finals.
Head-to-Head
This is the second time the two sides will meet at the World Cup after they clashed in 2014, with Portugal winning 2-1 on that day.
Portugal’s form (WWLWLW)
Ghana’s form (WDLLWW)
Both sides head into the game in great form after winning their warmup games before the tournament.
Ghana stunned Switzerland, while Portugal secured a dominant victory over Nigeria
