In the final round of group-stage matches in the Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana lock horns with Comoros in Group C at the Roumde Adjia Stadium on Tuesday.

The Black Stars, who are on the brink of a shock early exit from the tournament, need all three points to keep their qualification chances alive after failing to win their opening two games.

Match preview

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Ghana, who are the third-most successful nation on the continent, have been one of the flops of this year's AFCON as they face serious risks of a shock group-stage defeat exit.

The Black Stars came into Cameroon seeking to pick up their first title since 1976 and conquer the continent for an impressive fifth time, but they currently find themselves bottom but one in the group standings, three points off second-placed Gabon.

However, after falling to a 1-0 defeat against Morocco in their group opener, Milovan Rajevac's side failed to find their feet as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Gabon on Friday.

Veteran forward Andre Ayew put Ghana ahead in the 18th minute and with the game approaching its end, substitute Jim Allevinah came up trumps for Les Pantheres as he netted two minutes away from time to force a share of the spoils.

The Black Stars have now failed to win any of their most recent three games, losing two and claiming one draw since securing a place in the playoffs of the 2022 FIFA World Cup back in November.

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Meanwhile, it has been nothing but a baptism of fire for Comoros, who have endured a horrid debut appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Having booked their place in the tournament when they finished runners-up to Egypt with nine points from six qualification games, Les Coelecantes fell to a 1-0 defeat against Gabon in their opening game courtesy of Aaron-Salem Boupendza's 16th-minute strike.

This was followed by a 2-0 defeat at the hands of high-flying Morocco on Thursday, when Selim Amallah and Zakaria Aboukhlal scored in either half to send the Atlas Lions through to the knockout stages.

Amir Abdou's men have now lost all but one of their last five games across all competitions since March 2021, with a 7-1 victory over Seychelles on November 1 being the only exception.

Comoros are rooted to the bottom of Group C and while they will now look to bow out on a high, next up is a significantly-superior Ghana side who they failed to defeat in their previous two encounters.

Team News

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Yeni Malatyaspor forward Benjamin Tetteh is out of contention for Tuesday's game after receiving his marching orders a few minutes after coming off the bench against Gabon on Friday.

On the injury front, Iddrisu Baba is a major doubt for Ghana after the 25-year-old midfielder came off with a 65th-minute injury in the aforementioned game.

Should the Mallorca man fail to pass a fitness test, Joseph Paintsil should come into the fold for his second starting appearance of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Comoros head into the game with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns meaning Abdou has a full strength squad at his disposal.

Les Coelecantes are yet to register a goal at the tournament and we expect the French tactician to make a few changes at the attacking end of the pitch.

While Red Star Belgrade man El Fardou Ben should retain his spot as the lone striker, Ibroihim Djoudja and Ahmed Mogni will push for starting roles in attack.

Ghana possible starting lineup:
Wollacott; Rahman, Djiku, Armatey, Yiadom; Baba, Partey; Paintsil, A Ayew, Kudus; J Ayew

Comoros possible starting lineup:
Ahamada; Abdallah, M'dahoma, Zahary, Bakari; Youssouf, Mohamed; Djoudja, Mogni, M'Changama; Ben

We say: Ghana 2-0 Comoros

Ghana's qualification chances are currently hanging by a thread after a sloppy start to the tournament. While the Black Stars need Morocco to see off Gabon in the other group fixture, we anticipate they will claim all three points here and keep their hopes of making it to the knockout stages alive.

Written by
Joshua Ojele

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