A cartoon featuring a giant Michael Essien scoring against a Guinean dwarf in a packed Accra stadium is what Ghanaians found on the first page of leading newspaper The Statesman. "Make us proud, boys," read the comment on the cartoon, highlighting the mood in the host nation before the African Cup of Nations (CAN) opener on Sunday. The Ghanaians have the home advantage plus a host of European-based talents, led by Chelsea midfielder Essien, in possession. The Syli Nationale have built an admirable reputation during their impressive campaign in Egypt two years ago. A win will be crucial for any side as both teams will clash heads knowing that Morocco are unlikely to sacrifice the three points against minnows Namibia in the other Group A game. Ghana: Enormous Expectations "We face unbelievable expectations. Ghana have not been African champions since 1982 and we know that we are in a very difficult group," Ghana coach Claude LeRoy. Team News: Ghana will be definitely missing midfield maestro Stephen Appiah, who is ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury, but Hearts midfielder Laryea Kingston is expected to deputize the Fenerbahce star. Strength: Despite the blow of missing skipper Appiah, the Black Stars still have a very decent midfield line, with the presence of Premiership duo Essien and Sulley Ali Muntari. Weakness: The Black Stars are often criticized for lacking venom upfront as probable strike partners Asamoah Gyan and Junior Agogo are yet to convince the fans that they can lead the team to glory.
Feindouno confident Probable Line-up: Kingson, Paintsil, Sarpei, Mensah, Addo, Essien, Kingston, Muntari, Quincy, Gyan, Agogo. Guinea: Higher Ambitions "We are in Ghana to improve upon our previous records in the tournament by booking a place in the semi finals of the competition. "We are well prepared for the tournament and nothing would stop us from achieving our target," Guinea captain Pascal Feindouno. Team News: Coach Robert Nouzaret has a fully fit squad to select his starting eleven from. Strength: In the last competition, Guinea were inspired by some heroic performances from Feindouno, Fode Mansare and Ismail Bangoura, fortunately for Nouzaret, the lethal trio are there to put pressure on the host nation. Weakness: Guinea might be facing some problems in goal, as first choice goalkeeper Naby Diarso is the only home-based player in the squad, Kemoko Camara is club-less, while Naby Yattara is uncapped. Probable Line-up: Diarso- I. Camara, Kalabane, Jabi, Balde- Sylla, Johnson, Feindouno, Mansare- Youla, Bangoura. Head-to-Head: Obviously Ghana have the upper hand, as the four-time champions have never lost a competitive game to their West African neighbors, winning two out of three confrontations in previous CAN competitions.
