Phillip Buckley

What: FIFA 2010 World Cup
Who: Ghana vs Australia (Group D)
When: Saturday 19th June, 2010, at 15:00 UK Time
Where: Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, South Africa

Carrying the Hopes of Africa

Ghana were the only African side to record a win in their first group game – and that victory over Serbia, however fortuitous, has left the Black Stars in a great position to qualify. True, the contest with Serbia could have gone either way. And also true that it was a penalty that secured the victory. But these things matter little to Ghana and the three points will have boosted confidence to sky-high levels in the camp.

The African side, scenting Australia’s defensive woes following a 4-0 thrashing by the Germans, have vowed to go on the attack from the off, searching for another three points to all but guarantee qualification from the group stage. "Australia must know, we are going to attack them and attack them", said Ibrahim Ayew.

Only Gold-Plated Generation?

Much was made before the tournament of the fact that this would be the last World Cup for many of the Socceroos’ so called golden generation. Players like Harry Kewell, Lucas Neill, Scott Chipperfield and Mark Schwarzer are unlikely to see the 2014 tournament in Brazil, meaning they would grasp this chance. Against Germany however, those assumptions fell apart.

Australia received a boost though, with the news that Tim Cahill, sent off against the Germans, will miss only one game. No help here, but hope instead that a good result can be followed up by an even better one with a stronger side when Serbia are met last. Coach Pim Verbeek will be counting on the spirit in the camp to push old Australian legs forward and there is a feeling the Australian press have not supported the side as they should, quick to jump on them after the Germany defeat. "You are all supposed to be on our team", blasted Harry Kewell to a number of Australia journalists. "And it’s a shame you are having a go at us."


Recent form

Ghana:
Holland 4-1 Ghana (01/06; Friendly)
Ghana 1-0 Latvia (05/06; Friendly)
Serbia 0-1 Ghana (13/06; World Cup – Group D)

Australia:
Australia 1-0 Denmark (01/06; Friendly)
United States 3-1 Australia (05/06; Friendly)
Germany 4-0 Australia (13/06; World Cup – Group D)


Players to watch

Ghana – John Mensah: While the rest of the Black Stars look to bomb forward it would be easy to overlook Mensah’s importance. The 27-year-old defender is an organiser and marshals the Ghana backline, directing those around him. It’s little surprise then that he wears the captain’s armband. Ghana need Mensah to once again make sure there are no holes at the back, in order to allow the attack to flourish free of worry.

Australia – Mark Schwarzer: How does a goalkeeper recover from having four goals stuck past him in an awfully one sided contest? Australian fans will be hoping Schwarzer can bounce back straight away. Coming off the back of a great club season with English Premier League side Fulham, the 37-year-old is likely at his last World Cup and there’s no doubting his ability. The importance of Schwarzer helping Australia to, at the very least, not lose, cannot be understated.


Match prediction

Australia would of course dearly love to win this game, but they have to be careful, since defeat could all but end their prospects of qualifying from the group. The Socceroos will be keen to bounce back and erase that 4-0 opening game stain too. Ghana on the other hand were a little flattered by their win over Serbia and it remains to be seen if simply the confidence boost will improve their performance. It’s a hard game to call and looks very much like a draw.

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