Ghana sit bottom of Group C with no points, making this week’s two matches against Somalia close to must-win in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Ghana's senior national football team, the Black Stars, closed their Accra training camp on Tuesday afternoon before heading to Sekondi-Takoradi for back-to-back 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Somalia.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA), the body that runs the game in the country, said all 26 invited players were expected at the final session at the Accra Sports Stadium, where acting head coach Kim Lars Björkegren and his technical staff put the finishing touches to their plans. The details were reported by Daily Guide Network.
Camp opened on Sunday, November 8, with players arriving in batches rather than all at once, a normal pattern when a squad is drawn largely from clubs abroad. Since then the focus has been on fitness levels and tactical shape. The team was due to travel to Sekondi straight after Tuesday's session to continue work at the match venue.
Two games, same stadium
Ghana face Somalia in the first leg on Thursday, November 12, at the Essipong Sports Stadium in Sekondi-Takoradi. The return fixture is set for Monday, November 16 at the same ground. Both matches kick off at 15:00 GMT.
For readers following from the United States, 15:00 GMT is the middle of the day in Ghana, which means an early-morning watch on the East Coast and even earlier on the West Coast.
Why the pressure is on
The Black Stars arrive in Sekondi without a point from their first two qualifiers in Group C. They lost 2-0 to Côte d'Ivoire in Bouaké, then were beaten 4-2 at home by The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium. That leaves Ghana, winners of the Africa Cup of Nations four times, at the bottom of their group.
Two matches against the same opponent within five days offer the quickest route back into contention. Six points would transform the table for Ghana; anything less would leave the four-time champions with very little room for error in the remaining fixtures.
It also explains why the GFA has kept the squad together in a full residential camp rather than assembling the players only in the final days before kick-off. The group has had from Sunday to Tuesday in Accra, and will have the rest of the week at the venue itself.
What to watch
Björkegren is in charge in an acting capacity, so these two matches double as a test of whether the current set-up can steady a campaign that started badly. The defensive record is the obvious concern: six goals conceded in two games, including four at home.
The second leg on November 16 closes out this international window for Ghana.