Stand-in Ghana captain Sulley Muntari is expecting a tough battle as the Black Stars launch their bid to reach a third consecutive World Cup.
The 2010 World Cup quarter-finalists open their campaign at home to Lesotho on Friday before taking on Zambia.
"It will be difficult because they will stay back and defend, so we know what to expect," Muntari told BBC Sport.
"The World Cup is an amazing event and every player wants to play in it - I personally want to do it a third time."
Only three African teams have ever qualified for three World Cup tournaments in succession: Cameroon (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002), Nigeria (1994, 1998, 2002) and Tunisia (1998, 2002, 2006).
The Italy-based midfielder, who has played in seven of Ghana's eight World Cup matches during the 2006 and 2010 finals, is assuming the captaincy in place of John Mensah.
Source: BBC