Ghana coach Chris Hughton is confident that the Black Stars will be fully prepared for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament set to be held in Ivory Coast.
The 34th edition of AFCON is scheduled to take place from January 13 to February 11, 2024, with Ghana’s opening match against Cape Verde on January 14.
During the draw conducted last week, Ghana was placed in Group B alongside record AFCON winners Egypt, Cape Verde, and Mozambique.
Speaking before the clash against the USA, the former Premier League manager expressed his belief that his team will be well-prepared ahead of the continental tournament.
“I am quite sure that we will be ready. But again I have to speak about balances because we have two top friendlies here against two very, very good teams, and I will give you an example. If I am talking about the squads that we have had, then probably some of the names that have been regulars in the squad are missing, and that can be the case for the next squad or the next squad after that, so the idea is, of course, to get as much consistency as you can. But in circumstances where you potentially might be missing players, you don’t want to be bringing players in for their first cap or their second caps, so that is always the hard balance,” he explained.
Hughton mentioned the team’s upcoming high-quality friendly and two World Cup qualification games, emphasizing their preparation for the Africa Cup of Nations. He expressed their readiness to handle any potential player absences. Hughton also emphasized the importance of striking the right balance between experienced players and newcomers in the squad for what promises to be a challenging tournament.
“We have a tremendous friendly tomorrow, top quality friendly tomorrow and two World Cup qualification games to make sure that we are alright for the Africa Cup of Nations. We will be prepared for sure. Because come this time, apart from any players that potentially might miss the AFCON. Then we will get the right balance of experienced players and players that have just come into the squad and we will be ready for what will be a very tough tournament” he said.
The Black Stars faced a 2-0 defeat to Mexico at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte last Saturday and will be looking to bounce back to winning ways in their upcoming match against the USA.
