Ghana's coach, Otto Addo, anticipates a challenging encounter against Niger in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The Black Stars find themselves in Group F alongside Sudan, Angola, and Niger.
Despite Niger's recent struggles, Addo remains wary of their resilience on the field.
"They don’t have a good record in their last five, six, seven, eight matches. I think they won one, played some draws and lost the other games" the 44-year-old trainer told the Ghana FA website.
"But what you can see is that, when they lost they just lost by a lone goal. So it’s going to be tough. All the other teams are finding it tough playing against Niger so it’s going to be tough for us as well. We have to be at our 100% best to beat everyone.
Reflecting on the competitive landscape of African football, Addo emphasized the unpredictability and strength of supposedly underdog teams.
"There is no small team in Africa at the moment. You saw at the last AFCON that very, very strong and known teams had problems with the so-called unknown teams so it’s going to be tough but I think we have the quality to beat all of them. But it’s going to be close, it’s going to be tough, there are no easy games," he added.
Ghana, aiming for their fifth AFCON title, view this campaign as pivotal for restoring their status as continental champions. Their last triumph in the tournament dates back to 1982, adding significance to their current campaign under Otto Addo's leadership.