Ghana coach Otto Addo has emphasized the importance of caution as the Black Stars prepare to face Angola on Thursday, September 5, 2024, in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier at the Baba Yara Stadium.
Despite Ghana’s previous victory against Angola at the same venue, Addo acknowledges the significant improvement of their opponents, particularly under the guidance of Portuguese coach Pedro Gonçalves.
He noted Angola’s impressive performance in recent years, including their standout run in the 2023 AFCON, where they led their group and won the COSAFA Cup.
“There are no more easy games in Africa. All teams have improved, and Angola is particularly impressive,” Addo said at the post-match conference on Wednesday.
“Under Coach Pedro Gonçalves, they had a remarkable AFCON campaign, topping their group ahead of solid teams like Algeria and Burkina Faso.
They also made history by advancing past the group stage for the first time, making this a challenging opponent.”
Addo highlighted Angola’s success and tactical prowess, noting their solid performances in the recent AFCON, in which they lost narrowly to Nigeria in the Round of 16 despite controlling much of the game.
The Palancas Negras, who trained at the Baba Yara Stadium on Wednesday, want to avenge their narrow defeat to Ghana in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers.
Addo pointed out Angola’s strengthened squad, including experienced players from top European leagues and a newly recruited goalkeeper from the Portuguese club.
“Their squad includes players from top European clubs, and they’ve recently added a new experienced goalkeeper and a seasoned defender from Botafogo.
It will be a very tough match,” Addo observed. “We have studied them closely and identified strategies to counter their strengths. Now it’s about implementing these plans effectively.”
The Black Stars, who concluded their preparations on Wednesday evening, aim to maintain their strong home record.
They hope to build on recent victories against Mali and the Central African Republic to secure a positive result against Angola. The match is scheduled to kick off at 16:00 GMT.
Angola players training ahead of their game against Ghana tomorrow #3SportsGH pic.twitter.com/GkzI7Cs6QP
— #3Sports (@3SportsGh) September 4, 2024
