Ghana coach Appiah to ring major changes to face Mali today

Published on: 24 January 2013

By Ameenu Shardow - Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah says he will make changes to his starting line-up to face Mali on Thursday at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

From the training sessions at the Black Stars training ground, it is clear that some players who played in Ghana's first match against DR Congo will not be used in the match against Mali.

With Isaac Vorsah recovering from injury, Jerry Akaminko is expected to revert to his place on the bench as the towering centre-back has been partnering John Boye at the heart of the defence since Tuesday.

Another change likely to happen is makeshift left-back Kwadwo Asamoah who has been moved to playing behind striker Asamoah Gyan.

With Kwadwo moving upfront, Harrison Afful has been used at the left back with Mubarak Wakaso playing from the left wing position.

Youngster Rabiu Mohammed has taken Derek Boateng's place at the heart of the midfield during the training session, meaning he could also grab a place.

The two sides clash in Group B with the Black Stars desperately needing a victory to ease their fears of reaching the second round of the competition in South Africa.

Injuries forced the coach to deploy some players in their unusual positions in their opening group match aganist DR Congo while some second choice players made the starting line-up.

With most of the players on the injury list recovering, Appiah says he will switch his tactics as he is not static with the formation he uses for matches.

"I will not be using the same formation for every match. I plan my strategy depending on the opponent we face," Appiah said.

"It could be the same style of play against DR Congo or different. But Mali are different from DR Congo and we will approach them with a different style.

Mali have an early advantage in Group B thanks to their 1-0 win over Niger in their opening game of the group on Sunday.

The victory means they top of group on three points after Ghana were held to a 2-2 draw by DR Congo at the group's Port Elizabeth venue.

Ghana probable starting line-up: Fatau Dauda, John Pantsil, Harrison Afful, Isaac Vorsah, John Boye, Rabiu Mohammed, Albert Adomah, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, Kwadwo Asamoah, Asamoah Gyan, Mubarak Wakaso.

What do you think about this starting line-up? Do you think Ghana can defeat Mali with this starting line-up? Make your views known in the box below:

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