Nigeria vs Ghana: Otto Addo not cracking under pressure ahead of crunch 2022 World Cup playoff

Ghana coach insists he's not under pressure ahead of the Black Stars decisive 2022 World Cup playoff against Nigeria on Tuesday.

The tension is building up for the massive showdown at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja which hold the destiny over 200 million Nigerian fans.

The first game of the play-off on Friday was a draw at Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.

The Black Stars landed in Abuja on Monday in preparation for the second part of the play-off against Nigeria.

The stakes are high for the two nations as they lock horns at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja in the return fixture of the playoff.

But Ghana coach Otto Addo insists he is not under pressure to deliver against the Super Eagles.

"First of all, I have a different definition of pressure," Addo said. "Pressure, for me, is a privilege to sit here in front of as a coach for the Ghana national team, it's a privilege. it's not pressure for me."

"For me, I think 30 million Ghanaians will like to be here (as the coach), so, it is a privilege, not a pressure. Pressure is when I have to think [about] what I eat tomorrow, this is pressure. But this (being here as a coach, facing Nigeria) is no pressure."

"But surely, we want to qualify and I have told the players to go have fun,'' he added. "If you make mistakes, I will take it on myself. First, try to play football, try to score, to win and we give our best."

"We haven't won anything, so, this is a football ad sometimes, you play good, you lose. Sometimes, you play bad but you can win. So, it's a privilege to be here, to have the chance to go to the World Cup and we will do everything we can to qualify."

Ghana had more of the possession and chances but proved sloppy in their finishing during the first leg in Kumasi.

Only twice did they test goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, who made a stop from a stinging shot by Issahaku Fatawu in the 33rd minute and then again in the 71st minute from Mohammed Kudus.

Nigeria's best opening fell to Moses Simon 10 minutes into the second half but he squandered the chance to score a vital away goal.

Nigeria were awarded a penalty with 15 minutes left when Idrissu Baba Mohamed handled the ball after being tripped in his own penalty area, but after a VAR check the referee changed his decision and handed Ghana a free kick.

Ghana were playing their first game under new coach Otto Addo, who had former Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton as a consultant.

He handed debuts to AS Roma teenager Felix Ohene-Gyan and 33-year-old former Belgium defender Denis Odoi, who switched allegiance ahead of the two-legged playoff.

Leicester City's Ademola Lookman, who had previously played for England at under-21 level, made his Nigeria debut as a substitute for the last 15 minutes.

A scoring draw will see Ghana qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup mundial in Qatar in November this year whiles Nigeria needs a win to make it at the expense of Ghana.

Nigeria-Ghana is one of five crunch ties on Tuesday that will determine which teams will represent the continent at the tournament in Qatar.

In the other ties, both Algeria and Tunisia will be confident of building on their 1-0 wins in Cameroon and Mali respectively.

Morocco will hope a home win can follow their 1-1 draw in DR Congo, while Egypt must travel to protect a narrow one-goal lead at the home of African champions Senegal.