Africa Brazil take on ‘original’ Brazil in a match that will give an indication of the preparedness of both countries for the 2022 World Cup which is less than two months away.
In their fifth meeting in all competitions, the Samba Boys of Brazil battle with a newly-look Ghana side that for decades lived under the tag ‘the Samba boys of Africa’.
With the benefit of four days of training which is a rarity in international football with respect to friendly matches, coach Otto Addo has had the benefit of assessing 28 of the 29 players he invited for the game.
With the game set for later today, Here are highlights certain things that Ghanaians can look out for in Otto Addo’s team.
Otto Addo’s formation
Ghana’s first two matches at the World Cup are against countries dominated by stars and of a higher profile than the Black Stars.
The game against Brazil is expected to give an inkling into how Otto Addo will approach games against countries with better players and profiles than Ghana.
Will he go for a conservative 3-5-2 system or an expansive and attacking 4-2-3-1? This is one of the headaches Otto Addo will have to cure.
Performance of new players
Much of the pre-match hype has been around the arrival of Tariq Lamptey, Inaki Williams, Ransford Yeboah, Stephan Ambrosius and Mohammed Salisu.
It is expected that at least two of them will start the game and Ghanaians will be watching with an eagle eye how they will fare.
For most people, the performance of the new players will determine the prudency or otherwise in the GFA’s successful attempt to lure them from England, Germany and Spain.
Where will Mohammed Kudus plays?
Is he going to start as a striker or central attacking midfielder? The Ajax man has thrived in his ‘false nine’ role for his club but in the Black Stars can he replicate that form?
The Black Stars lack a reliable goal-scorer and Otto Addo, as he hinted in the pre-match presser might try Kudus in that role.
If the gamble works, Ghana has found a reliable source for goals, if it doesn’t, more headache for Otto Addo.
Overall Team performance
For most people, the scoreline will not be as important as the performance. Whiles, there is a minute sense of confidence that Ghana could beat Brazil, the general impression is that Ghana will lose but how they lose is the issue.
The performance of the team against Brazil will either make Ghanaians confident about the prospect of facing Portugal and Uruguay or make them give up even before the World Cup kicks off.
How Brazil stars will fare against a determined Ghanaian side
Neymar, Thiago Silva, Vinicius, Marquinhos, Allison, Ederson among others. The Brazilian team has a galaxy of stars who on a good day can perform magic and wallop any team with an embarrassing scoreline.
Football has however thought us that you don’t necessarily need the best of players but rather a group of hungry and determined players. In the Black Stars team, most players will be playing for their World Cup ticket and so will go in with full determination to impress Otto Addo and the three other coaches.
Question is, can Brazil cope with the determined Ghanaian players.