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Former Black Stars defender, Anthony Baffoe, has weighed in on Ghana's draw for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), dubbing the pairing with Egypt in Group B as a tricky challenge.
Despite the difficulty posed by the draw, the German-born Ghanaian expressed confidence in Ghana's ability to advance from the group stage as one of the top two teams. Cape Verde and Mozambique are the other two teams rounding out Group B.
“It’s a very tricky group with Egypt who are a strong team with a leader Mohamed Salah. We have Cape Verde who have been uncomfortable for us to play. We have Mozambique making it two Portuguese-speaking countries,” Baffoe told the media after the draw in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday night.
With 25 caps for the Black Stars, Baffoe emphasized that Ghana possesses sufficient quality to contend in the tournament next year.
“I’m confident that we will emerge first or second in the group. In our last tournament in Cameroon, we didn’t perform well but generally, we are a tournament team. We still have experienced players like Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew and Mohammed Kudus who is the superstar in the team.
“We are stabilized with our goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi. I have confidence in the team, it’s not going to be easy but I know Ghana will come out of this group. The gap between the teams is becoming closer but we have to be on our toes to do well.”
The 2023 AFCON will kick off on January 13 and conclude on February 11, 2024.
Despite the difficulty posed by the draw, the German-born Ghanaian expressed confidence in Ghana's ability to advance from the group stage as one of the top two teams. Cape Verde and Mozambique are the other two teams rounding out Group B.
“It’s a very tricky group with Egypt who are a strong team with a leader Mohamed Salah. We have Cape Verde who have been uncomfortable for us to play. We have Mozambique making it two Portuguese-speaking countries,” Baffoe told the media after the draw in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday night.
With 25 caps for the Black Stars, Baffoe emphasized that Ghana possesses sufficient quality to contend in the tournament next year.
“I’m confident that we will emerge first or second in the group. In our last tournament in Cameroon, we didn’t perform well but generally, we are a tournament team. We still have experienced players like Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew and Mohammed Kudus who is the superstar in the team.
“We are stabilized with our goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi. I have confidence in the team, it’s not going to be easy but I know Ghana will come out of this group. The gap between the teams is becoming closer but we have to be on our toes to do well.”
The 2023 AFCON will kick off on January 13 and conclude on February 11, 2024.