Coming off vastly different opening results at the World Cup, Ghana midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng and Australia captain Lucas Neill each spoke of the importance of togetherness ahead of their Group D match.
The teams meet Saturday at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, six days after Ghana beat Serbia 1-0 and Australia was routed 4-0 by Germany.
Boateng, a German-born attacking midfielder with Portsmouth in the English Premier League, praised Ghana's camaraderie.
``It is like a big, big family,'' Boateng said Friday. ``I've not been here a long time but I already can say I'm a family member. There's a lot of love in the team. We pray a lot, so there is a fantastic spirit. We try to take that spirit on the pitch so everyone is there for each other.''
Boateng's brother, Jerome, plays for the country of their birth, and Kevin-Prince played 41 matches for German youth teams from 2002-07. After a dispute with the under-21 coach, he was told he would not be picked again.
He made the choice to represent Ghana last year, but a FIFA clearance allowing him to play in this tournament was only secured in March. The Australia game will be just his third for the team.
Boateng said Ghana needs to stay calm amid the rising excitement.
``Against Serbia, we played well and everyone was excited and Ghana went crazy,'' Boateng said. ``The coach has told us that this is our Champions League final, so we have to go out there and make sure of it.''
By contrast, there is very little excitement in Australia following its opening loss. While Ghana's fans were celebrating in the streets, Australia's were dissecting the tactics of coach Pim Verbeek and the slowness of the defense - with Neill at its heart.
It was a game that rocked Australia's top players, who came here expecting more after an unlucky second-round loss to eventual winner Italy four years ago.
``It was clear after the game that it hurt,'' Neill said of the Germany loss. ``We had a family day this week and that took our mind off everything for a day. We were lucky enough to see close family we hadn't seen for a while, and we felt a little bit loved again.
``After that we all got together and said: 'We're not going to go out like this.'''
Neill, who has played at Blackburn, West Ham and Everton and is now with Galatasaray in Turkey, said his own motivation is high.
``It's the biggest game of my career,'' Neill said. ``I'm the leader of this group and I don't want to be someone who looks back on his career as someone who led Australia at the World Cup and couldn't get us out of our group. We're driven by that fear.''
