Niger and Ghana will be looking to secure their first win in the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when they go head to head at the Stade Municipal de Berkane on Monday.
The Black Stars kicked off their quest for a place in Morocco with a surprise home defeat against Angola last Thursday, one day after Zaki Badou's men were beaten by Sudan in the group opener.
Match preview
© Imago
Niger were denied a dream start to their 2025 AFCON qualifying campaign as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Sudan when the two nations squared off in the Group F curtain-raiser on Wednesday.
In a cagey affair at the Juba Stadium, former Bradford City midfielder Abo Eisa netted the only goal of the game in the 51st minute to hand the Falcons of Jediane a deserved opening-day victory.
Niger, who are 125th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, have now lost eight of their most recent nine competitive matches, a run which has seen them drop to third place in Group E of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
While Badou's side will look to find their feet and get their qualifying journey up and running, next up is the challenge of an opposing side who are unbeaten in 12 of their last 14 encounters, picking up 11 wins and one draw since February 1969.
Niger's last AFCON appearance came in South Africa back in 2013, when they suffered a group-stage exit after picking up one point from a possible nine in Group B to finish rock-bottom in the table.
© Imago
Elsewhere, Ghana's 24-year unbeaten streak at Kumasi's Baba Yara Sports Stadium came to an end on Thursday when they suffered a 1-0 defeat against their Central African rivals Angola.
Ghana were guilty of a lack of sting at the attacking end of the pitch as Red Star Belgrade forward Milson struck in the third minute of stoppage time to hand the Black Sable Antelopes a famous victory.
Prior to that, Ghana were unbeaten in four straight competitive matches, including consecutive victories over Mali and Central African Republic in the World Cup qualifiers, where they have picked up nine points from four games to sit second in Group I, level on points with first-placed Comoros.
Having featured in each of the last 10 AFCON editions since missing out in 2004, head coach Otto Addo will hope that his side can bounce back from Thursday's disappointments as they look to get their quest for a place in Morocco up and running.
Ghana head into Monday's clash unbeaten in five of their last six competitive games away from home — picking up four wins and one draw — with a 1-0 defeat against Comoros in November 2023 being the exception.
Team News
© Imago
Despite the defeat against Sudan, we expect Niger to name an unchanged starting side on Monday, with Abdel Rahim Alhassane, Abdoulaye Boureima Katore, Philippe Boueye and Najeeb Yakubu forming the back four once again.
Daniel Sosah has netted four goals in 19 senior caps since his debut in October 2021 and should lead the Niger attack once again, while Yusif Moussa, Ousmane Diabate and skipper Youssouf Oumarou should retain their roles in the centre of the park.
As for Ghana, we could expect the Premier League quartet of Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo and Jordan Ayew to lead the attack once again.
Skipper Thomas Partey has started each of Arsenal's opening three games this season and the 31-year-old should retain his role at the heart of the park for the Black Stars, alongside Elisha Owusu, who made his debut in March 2022
Alidu Seidu, Mohammed Salisu, Abdul Mumin and Brighton and Hove Albion man Tariq Lamptey should form the back four once again, shielding Lawrence Ati between the sticks.
Niger possible starting lineup:
Hainikoye; Alhassane, Katore, Boueye, Yakubu; Oumarou, Moussa, Diabate; Abraham, Sosah, Goumey
Ghana possible starting lineup:
Ati; Seidu, Salisu, Mumin, Lamptey; Partey, Owusu; Issahaku, Kudus, Semenyo; Ayew
We say: Niger 1-2 Ghana
Looking to restore some pride following their opening-day defeat, we expect Niger and Ghana to go all out on Monday and this makes for an exciting contest at the Stade Municipal de Berkane.
On paper, the Black Stars boast a superior and more experienced squad and we are tipping them to secure all three points, albeit by a narrow margin.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
