Ghana’s Black Stars come face to face with the Palancas Negras of Angola in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Thursday evening in Kumasi.
The Black Stars can boost of many big-name stars in their folds with Arsenal star Thomas Partey among some of the highly-rated stars in the squad. Mohammed Kudus has netted 21 times for Ajax Amsterdam this season in 39 times.
Though many fans do not anticipate a tough test from the Southern African nation, there are some key individuals within the squad of Pedro Soares Gonçalves who will pose a threat to Ghana on any day.
First, is Gelson Dala, Angola, 26-year-old former of Sporting CP, Rio Ave – he played domestic football for Primeiro de Agosto. He has scored 12 goals in 15 games for Al Wakra in the Qatar Stars League. He scored in two straight games for Angola against CAR and Madagascar. Dala has 13 goals in 31 outings for Angola.
His compatriot M’Bala Nzola who plies his trade with Serie A side Spezia is also a formidable threat in attack and the Ghana defence must be wary of him. He has scored 12 goals in 23 games for Spezia in the league this season. Nzola, who is capped 5 times with 2 goals, is a great threat upfront and Chris Hughton must device good defensive strategy to hold him down.
