Ghana will look to revive their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign when they host Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday. The Black Stars are under pressure after opening Group C with a 2-0 defeat by Ivory Coast in Bouake last Thursday. This left Carlos Queiroz’s side without a point from their first match.
The defeat in Ivory Coast came after a difficult build-up in which several key players were unavailable. Captain Jordan Ayew, Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Partey, Baba Rahman and Antoine Semenyo all missed the match through injury, leaving Queiroz with a depleted squad. The Elephants took advantage, with Malick Yalcouye opening the scoring before Franck Kessie converted a penalty to secure victory for the hosts.
Ghana have won only one of their last five matches in all competitions, alongside one draw and three defeats. They have also failed to score in their last two games. Creating clear opportunities has been another concern, with Ghana producing more than three chances in only two of their six recent matches. This highlights the attacking problems Queiroz will want his side to address.
Gambia, meanwhile, arrive in Accra with confidence after beginning their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Somalia at the Independence Stadium in Bakau. Ebrima Colley put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot in the 18th minute before Somalia’s Bilal Njie levelled in the 72nd minute. Muhammed Badamosi then came off the bench to restore Gambia’s advantage 11 minutes later and secure three points for Johnathan McKinstry’s side.
The victory was significant as it marked Gambia’s first competitive home match at the Independence Stadium since March 2021. The Scorpions will also be determined to avoid another disappointing qualifying campaign after failing to reach the 2025 AFCON, where they finished third in their group. McKinstry will therefore be aware of the importance of collecting points on the road as Gambia attempt to build on their winning start.
Tuesday’s fixture will be the first competitive meeting between Ghana and Gambia. The countries have previously met four times in friendly matches, with Ghana winning three and the other encounter ending goalless. However, the most recent meeting was in 1993, meaning those results offer little indication of what to expect in Accra more than three decades later.
Ghana are expected to make changes to the team that started against Ivory Coast as Queiroz looks for a more effective attacking performance. However, the team has been dealt a huge blow with defender Alexander Djiku now expected to miss the game due to an injury. Gambia are also expected to field a strong side as McKinstry looks to maintain his team’s winning start.
Key points
- Ghana need a positive result to prevent an early setback in their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign.
- Gambia are looking to build on their winning start to the campaign.
- The match will be the first competitive meeting between Ghana and Gambia.
