Ghana vs USA: World Cup 2014 match preview

A look ahead to tonight’s match between Group G’s wildcards

Charles Reynolds
Tuesday 17 June 2014 11:33 BST
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Kevin-Prince Boateng
Kevin-Prince Boateng

USA open up their World Cup campaign with a match against Ghana, which given the strength of opposition in their group is one they can ill-afford to lose.

With Germany and Portugal lurking in what could very well be the hardest group in the competition, both sides will be desperate to secure a vital win.

Ghana are considered by some to be the best African team in the competition and will be hoping to at least match their impressive showing from the 2010 competition when the arm of Luis Suarez and a missed penalty denied them a semi-final place.

Black Stars’ manager James Kwesi Appiah can call upon a reasonably experienced squad, with Gyan, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Kwadwo Asamoah and Michael Essien all at his disposal as Ghana look to negotiate their way out of a devilish group.

Meanwhile USA manager Jurgen Klinsmann has shown he is not afraid to make the hard decisions omitting Landon Donovan in favour of younger, more mobile options.

PAST THREE MEETINGS…

USA 1 (Donovan) Ghana 2 (Boateng, Gyan), World Cup, June 2010

Ghana 2(Dramani, Appiah) USA 1(Dempsey), World Cup, June 2006

STATS…

This is the third straight World Cup in which both sides are facing each other

Ghana are the third African nation to make it to the World Cup quarter-finals – after Cameroon and Senegal. If it was not for Luis Suarez’s handball, they would have become the first African country to qualify to the semi-finals.

If former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan scores twice in Brazil, then he will surpass Cameroon legend Roger Milla and become the top African goalscorer in the World Cup with six goals.

USA’s best appearance in the World Cup was in 1930 where the Stars and Stripes finished third.

Ghana scored 25 goals in the preliminary round, which is the most any African nation managed to net in the qualifiers.

ODDS…

Ghana to win: 8.5

USA to win: 2.1

Draw: 21.10

TV: Live on BBC One at 11pm

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