Black Stars head coach, Otto Addo, has named a 27-man squad to face Nigeria for the upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifying playoff.
A number of players who represented Ghana at the recent AFCON 2021 have been excluded from the encounter.
The squad announced by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) consists of four goalkeepers, nine defenders, six midfielders, four wingers and four strikers.
However, the list disclosed on Tuesday ahead of Friday’s crucial encounter with the Super Eagles saw as many as twelve players, who featured for Ghana at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon dropped.
The team for the AFCON had an unimpressive show at the tournament where Ghana suffered a shocking group stage exit with only a point after 3 matches.
Among the list is captain Andre Ayew who has been suspended alongside Turkey-based striker, Benjamin Tetteh as they both received red cards in Ghana’s last group game against Comoros.
The three Ghana Premier League players who made the AFCON squad – Richard Attah (Hearts of Oak), Maxwell Abbey Quaye (Great Olympics) and Sandan Abagna David (RTU) have also been dropped.
Injury has also forced the likes of Reading FC’s left-back Baba Rahman and France-based winger Kamaldeen Sulemana out of the team.
Former U20 defender Philemon Baffour, whose inclusion in the AFCON squad caused outrage cannot be found in the final squad.
FULL LIST:
- Samuel Owusu – Al Feiha
- Baba Rahman – Reading
- Kamaldeen Sulemana
- Maxwell Abbey Quaye – Great Olympics
- David Abagna Sandan – RTU
- Richmond Boakye-Yiadom – Beitar Jerusalem
- Andre Ayew – Al Sadd
- Benjamin Tetteh – Yeni Malatyaspor
- Richard Attah – Hearts of Oak
- Wakaso Mubarak – Shenzhen F.C
- Philimon Baffour – Rio Ave
- Jonathan Mensah – Columbus Crew
Ghana will host Nigeria for the first leg in Kumasi on Friday 25 March 2022 then travel to Abuja for the return leg four days later.
The winner over two legs will book one of Africa’s five slots for the 2022 World Cup to be hosted in Qatar.
