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The Black Satellites boss anticipates his last group match at the Benin youth championship
Ghana’s coach Abdul Karim Zito is looking to capitalize on Côte d’Ivoire’s desperation when the two sides meet in the current Wafu B Cup of Nations in Benin on Saturday.
In a group of three teams in the sub-regional tournament, Ghana has already booked a qualifying ticket for the next round of the competition after a 1-0 win over archrival Nigeria on Wednesday.
Côte d’Ivoire, for its part, urgently needs to avoid defeat to the Black Satellites, at the very least, to join the latter in the next round, having held Nigeria to a 1-1 draw in their opener.
“We were lucky to have seen Nigeria play against Ivory Coast,” Zito said, according to the official website of the Ghana Football Association.
“We missed the first thirty minutes of the game but we were here [in Benin] When they played since we drew goodbye
“Yes, for now, I have no problem thinking about qualifying, they will have to fight to qualify, so I think it will be a good match. They will attack us like Nigeria did.”
Against Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana will have to dispense with point man Precious Boah, who was sent off for a second yellow infraction against Nigeria moments after scoring the most important goal of the match.
“Yes, Boah is my everything in the team, he showed it by scoring the only goal of the game,” said Zito.
“But he’s out after the red card and there’s nothing we can do, so I started planning the next game without him.
“Maybe he’ll come back if we get to the final, since he has two yellow cards.”
“[Possible squad change against Cote d’Ivoire] It depends on a few factors, such as fatigue, mental toughness and the opponent. So, I can’t say much for now.
“I have to go back and evaluate the players before planning the next game.
“But there will definitely be some changes to the team, but it is too early to know who will play Cote D’Ivoire.”
The two finalists of the tournament will secure qualification for the 2021 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in Mauritania.
The four semi-finalists of the African match, in turn, will be rewarded with tickets to represent the continent at the Indonesian World Cup.