Preview: last-16 berth comes into Ghana's sight

السبت، 19 يونيو 2010 - 01:09

كتب : Hatem Maher

Ghana are eyeing a victory over Australia in Saturday's Group D tie to take a giant stride towards a place in the World Cup round of 16.

The Black Stars kicked off their campaign in a convincing fashion, beating Serbia 1-0 courtesy of a late penalty from striker Asamoah Gyan.

They are looking to claim a second successive win to edge closer to a place among the last 16.

In Group E, Holland face Japan and Cameroon, who are eyeing for their first win, take on Denmark.

Ghana V Australia

Team news:

Ghana and Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari could take part in the game after recovering from a thigh injury.

Australia will miss influential midfielder Tim Cahill, who picked up a red card in his side's 4-0 defeat by Germany in their World Cup opener. Harry Kewell could replace him after shaking off an injury.

What they said:

"Australia's performance against Germany did not show the real picture. They can do much better, can run better, so I expect them to be much better than the performance against Germany," Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac.

"Tactically we've worked on what we had to and if we can win against Ghana, everyone will be back on three points and it's open again," Australia coach Pim Verbeek.

Player to watch:

Ghana: Striker Asamoah Gyan is responsible for rounding off his side's neatly-worked counter attacks.

Australia: Former Liverpool midfielder Harry Kewell will be looking to fill the void left by Cahill.

Cameroon V Denmark

Team news:

Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen, who fielded several new faces in the 1-0 defeat by Japan, might start Arsenal midfielder Alexandre Song after he was benched against the three-time Asian champions.

Denmark striker and Song's club teammate Nicklas Bendtner may not start the game due to injury. Soren Larsen could take his place.

What they said:

"We especially need to make a better start to the match against Denmark. We do have an obstacle to overcome but fortunately we are playing another team who lost their opening match," Cameroon midfielder Jean Makoun.

"Cameroon have many good players, but they don’t have the same qualities as the Dutch team," Denmark coach Morten Olsen.

Player to watch:

Cameroon: Samuel Eto'o is looking to make up for a disappointing performance against Japan.

Denmark: Winger Dennis Rommedahl will be aiming to replicate the fine performance he produced against Holland.

Holland V Japan

Team news:

Holland winger Arjen Robben is unlikely to start as he is still short of match fitness after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Japan coach Takeshi Okada is expected to stick to the same side that beat Cameroon.

What they said:

"We will be playing against a wonderful team, which is one of the favorites for the title. We are very happy to play this game," Japan coach Takeshi Okada.

"The Japan game won't be easy as they play a good style of football, running a lot and combining well. The second match is crucial for both sides and we will go all out to win," Holland midfielder Wesley Sneijder.

Player to watch:

Holland: Playmaker Wesley Sneijder shoulders the burden of feeding the Dutch forwards.

Japan: Kesuke Honda, who plays for Russian side CSKA Moscow, impressed against Cameroon and scored the goal which gave his side all three points.

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