World Cup Team Profiles: Group D: Ghana

Teams / Ari Last / 01 March 2010 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

With the tournament being in their continent for the first time, at least one African team is expected to make it to the Quarter Finals, and it could be Ghana...

On paper, Ghana have the talent to do well in South Africa. Their recent appearance in the final of the African Cup of Nations shows that they're in pretty good form, and if they ensure that their stars are fit come June, their current price of [75.0], as a back-to-lay option at least, looks rather tempting.

Nation: Ghana

Also known as...
'The Black Stars'

Route to South Africa...
Ghana were the first African team (other than South Africa) to qualify for the World Cup and they did so with the minimum of fuss. It wasn't until they lost 1-0 in Benin that they conceded a goal in the final qualifying phase, and that was after they had booked their place.

World Cup Pedigree...
2006 was Ghana's first ever World Cup and they made quite the impression. They qualified from their group after picking up impressive wins over the Czech Republic and the USA, before losing 3-0 to Brazil in the second round. It was an experience they'll be hoping to build upon, and the progress they have shown since then suggests that they will.

They'll be relying on...
Michael Essien regaining his fitness and then keeping it. The man known as 'The Bison' has not been seen for several months, having picked up a knee injury that also ruled him out of the African Cup of Nations. Essien is the lynchpin of this Ghana side, and if he, along with Inter's Sulley Muntari, goes into the tournament fit and firing, the Black Stars will boast one of the most feared midfield duos in the competition.

Something you may not have known is...
Ghana became the first African side to win the Under-20 World Cup when they defeated Brazil in October 2009. It's an impressive achievement and is particularly relevant when you consider that in 2006, Ghana had the youngest team in the tournament. The nation is clearly doing something right when it comes to youth development, and as it was in 2006, much is expected of the latest crop. In fact, the blend of youth, coupled with the experience of John Mensah, Michael Essien and Asamoah Gyan is exactly why Ghana go into 2010 in even better shape than they were in four years ago.

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