Faced with the prospect of an early exit, tournament favorite Ivory
Coast cannot afford another slip-up when it takes on Ghana on
Friday in its final group game in the African Cup of Nations.
With Togo having pulled out of the competition in the wake of
the attack on its team bus that left three people dead, each team
in Group B now plays just two games.
Two of the three countries will qualify for the quarterfinals
but Ivory Coast only drew 0-0 with Burkina Faso in its opening
game, leaving the Elephants under serious pressure ahead of its
match against Ghana.
"We are now in a very difficult position but still have all
the cards in our hands and I know we can go through to the knockout
phase," Ivory Coast coach Vahid Halilhodzic said. "Togo being out
causes us problems. It will be a difficult match against Ghana but
we have our fate in our hands."
This much-anticipated match between two World Cup qualifiers
will also feature a battle between three Chelsea players: Ghana's
Michael Essien and Ivory Coast pair Didier Drogba and Salomon
Kalou.
Essien only joined up with his teammates on Wednesday after
being forced to stay in London because extreme weather conditions
delayed flights out of England. The Black Stars midfielder has
recovered from a hamstring injury sustained during a Champions
League match in early December and should be available for the game
in Cabinda.
Ghana will be without midfielders Anthony Annan and Stephen
Appiah, as well as defender John Pantsil. Coach Milovan Rajevac
will therefore call on several members of the squad that won the
Under-20 World Cup, including Andre Ayew, the son of three-time
African Player of the Year Abedi Pele.
"We want to win this competition but this first game is going
to be interesting, pitting our very young team against one of the
best and most experienced sides in Africa," Rajevac said.
Ivory Coast, which reached the tournament's final four years
ago but won its only title in 1992, did not impress against Burkina
Faso, with Drogba saying after the match that the attack on the
Togo bus prior to the tournament had deeply affected the team.
"After what happened a few days ago, it was difficult to
concentrate," Drogba said. "Now we are facing a tough task, but it
is tough for everyone."
While Ghana can qualify with a win, a defeat would not
automatically put the Elephants out of contention for a
quarterfinal berth. But Halilhodzic's team would have to wait until
the last group game between Burkina Faso and Ghana to discover its
fate.
"I am confident. We are going to work hard to be ready
against one of the best teams in Africa," Ivory Coast defender Kolo
Toure said. "We need to show character. We have the spirit, the
team."
