Ghana U-20 head coach Maxwell Konadu says the Black Satellites are ready to rise to the occasion when they face defending champions Nigeria in a blockbuster WAFU Zone B U-20 Championship opener.
The two West African giants meet on Monday, July 27, in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, with Ghana aiming to make an immediate statement in Group B.
Konadu knows the magnitude of the fixture, but insists his side has the preparation, mentality and quality to go toe-to-toe with the holders.
“We’ve prepared enough. We played a couple of friendly games before coming here, and I think for now the boys are ready for the impending assignment ahead of us,” Konadu said.
Ghana will, however, head into the clash without a key defensive midfielder, who suffered an injury in training and was ruled out of the trip.
But Konadu is refusing to dwell on the setback, insisting the rest of the squad must shoulder the responsibility.
“Our key and main defensive midfielder got hurt in training and couldn’t make the trip, but we are burdening everybody for this job, so we think we are okay living without him,” he added.
The Ghana boss expects a fierce contest between two traditional rivals, with national pride and regional supremacy at stake.