Dj Vnyash
Ghana have dropped Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey for their crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola and Niger, with the first matchday five fixtures set for Wednesday. Coach Otto Addo declined to reveal the reason for Partey’s omission, citing confidentiality but expressed hope that the 31-year-old would rejoin the team for the March World Cup qualifying window.
In another change involving Premier League players, Leicester City’s Jordan Ayew has replaced West Ham United’s Mohamed Kudus as captain. Kudus had led the Black Stars in recent matches against Sudan, where they earned just one point, putting Ghana at risk of missing the AFCON finals for the first time since 2004. Currently in third place in Group F with two points from four matches, Ghana needs to win both their away match against Angola and home match against Niger to have any chance of qualifying for the 2025 tournament in Morocco. Meanwhile, Sudan only needs one point from their remaining matches against Niger and Angola to secure their qualification.
Other key matchday five fixtures include:
- Benin v Nigeria: Nigeria, with the return of Victor Osimhen, needs just one point to qualify. Despite losing to Benin in a World Cup qualifier last year, Nigeria will be cautious.
- Botswana v Mauritania: Botswana, unexpectedly in second place in Group C, will secure qualification with a home win over Mauritania.
- Gambia v Comoros: Comoros, after a historic win in Tunisia, can seal qualification from Group A with a victory over Gambia, a team lacking an international-standard stadium.
- Uganda v South Africa: The two teams are on course to qualify from Group K, with both needing Congo Brazzaville to lose for assured passage. Uganda’s Denis Omedi has been a standout player.
- Zimbabwe v Kenya: Zimbabwe can qualify from Group J with a point, while Kenya needs a win to keep their qualification hopes alive after struggling to score in recent qualifiers.
