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- Hughton ready for Ghana's crunch match with Mozambique
Hughton ready for Ghana's crunch match with Mozambique
Chris Hughton acknowledged the “magnitude” of Ghana’s crunch clash with Mozambique ahead of their final Group B game at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Both sides go into the game with one point from their opening two matches and know that even a win might not be enough to send them into the Round 16, with Egypt, one point better off, taking on already-qualified Cape Verde in the other game in the pool.
“We are aware of the magnitude of this game. We know that this is a game that we have to win,” former Premier League manager Hughton said.
“Our preparation going into the game has been the same as the two previous games. All we can do is prepare the team to play a very tough match, as all of these games are, and make sure that we put in a level of performance that allows us to win the game.”
Mohammed Kudus passed a late fitness test to score a brace in Ghana’s 2-2 draw with Egypt last time out.
The West Ham United forward remains optimistic Ghana can advance to the next round.
“It is very possible. Until we finish the last game in the group, it’s the same focus,” he said.
“You could see the fighting spirit and the energy from the guys (against Egypt). We have to do more than that in the last game because we have to get the three points at all cost and we will see what happens after.”
Midfielder Majeed Ashimeru was replaced in the second half of that game with a knock, but the Ghana Football Association said he had made “significant progress” in his recovery, meaning he could feature on Tuesday (AEDT).
Mozambique manager Chiquinho Conde said his side would “approach the game as if it were a final”.
He added: “Ghana’s strengths are in their individual abilities, but my team has assessed them and will identify the weak link in the team so that we can get the desired result.”