No major changes for Guinea-Bissau match – Ghana coach

by Graeme Jackson

Tuesday Jul 02, 2019. 09:12

Ghana coach James Kwesi Appiah says he is not planning any major changes to his team line-up for tonight’s crunch match against Guinea-Bissau in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Black Stars must defeat their opponents in Suez to guarantee a place in the top two of Group F and a resulting place in the knockout rounds.

Thus far, Appiah’s team have played out draws against Benin (2-2) and Cameroon (0-0). In the latter match, the introduction of substitutes Asamoah Gyan and Kwabena Owusu added some zest to Ghana’s attack.

Owusus notably came the closest to scoring a goal, hitting the crossbar with a late attempt on a counter attack, and Black Stars supporters have called for him and Gyan to be included from the start against Guinea-Bissau.

However, Appiah insists consistency in selection will be his guiding principle.

“I don’t think we’re going to have a lot of changes," the coach said at his pre-game press conference on Monday.

"No one has believed in Gyan more than [I have].

“We’ve been having training sessions. Every coach assesses how training goes and chooses players for a particular game.

“It depends on how he [Gyan] performs at training, then I will decided whether he plays or not."

Appiah added, “Kwabena Owusu did well when he came on and players like him are the future.

"We are looking at giving each and everyone the opportunity when the time arises."