2023 AFCON: Ghana v Cape Verde preview

Mohammed Kudus of Ghana on the attack during the 2022 FIFA World Cup match between Ghana and Uruguay held at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar on 2 December 2022 © Alain Guy Suffo/BackpagePix

by Thando Mpembe

Saturday Jan 13, 2024. 15:13

Day two of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations concludes with the Group B encounter between Ghana and Cape Verde at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium.

Date: Sunday, 14 January 2024

Kick-off: 22h00 CAT

Head-to-head: The two teams have squared off once before at the continental showpiece, back in 2013 when the Black Stars won 2-0 in the quarter-finals. The Blue Sharks have lost all four match-ups and they’ve yet to score a goal against the West Africans, who triumphed 2-0 and 4-0 during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers.

Ghana’s last three results: Chris Hughton’s side had a bag of mixed results coming into the tournament after opening their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-0 victory over Madagascar before slumping to a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Comoros. They wrapped up their AFCON preparations with a 0-0 draw against Namibia on January 8.

Cape Verde’s last three results: The Atlantic Ocean islanders made an unbeaten start to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, having played out to a 0-0 draw with Angola followed by a 2-0 win against Eswatini and they warmed up for the spectacle in Ivory Coast with a 2-0 loss to Tunisia on January 10.

Team news: Mohammed Kudus has shrugged off a niggle that kept him out of the friendly against the Brave Warriors and is expected to face Cape Verde. Antoine Semenyo also missed that game due to illness and remains doubtful for the Group B opener. The Blue Sharks have a clean bill of health and will be at full strength for the clash in Abidjan.

Key player – Ghana: Mohammed Kudus is an exciting prospect for Ghana and the attacking midfielder will be hoping to emulate his club form for his country after scoring six goals in 16 Premier League appearances for West Ham during the first half of the season.

Key player – Cape Verde: Ryan Mendes will be the focal point of the Blue Sharks’ attack and was recently on target in the victory against the King’s Shield. The 34-year-old winger netted just once during the qualifiers, but is his county’s all-time leading scorer with 15 goals.