Angola will face Ghana in their fourth AFCON qualifier on Monday at Estadio de 11 Novembro, just four days after their last encounter. The hosts will be seeking to avenge their narrow 1-0 defeat in Kumasi and secure a vital three points.
Despite Ghana dominating most of the game, they managed to snatch a late winner through Antoine Semenyo, giving coach Chris Hughton a winning start.
The Black Stars have taken a three-point lead at the top of Group E with seven points from a possible nine, and they aim to continue their near-perfect record against Angola, who have lost two of the three previous meetings between the teams.
With only two games left to play, Ghana is just three points away from securing a spot at next year's AFCON, and Angola must quickly recover from their recent defeat and deliver another solid performance.
Although Angola suffered only their second loss in 13 matches, Pedro Goncalves's men will be eager to avoid losing consecutive matches for the first time in over two years. They have not lost at home since a World Cup qualifier against Libya in 2021 and are a formidable force in front of their fans.
Ghana will be without injured players Alexander Djiku, captain Andre Ayew, Mohammed Salisu, and Dennis Odoi, while Angola's midfielder Show is expected to be fit in time to feature for the away side.
Antoine Semenyo, who recently opened his international account, will be aiming to come up with the goods once again, while Angola's Ary Papel is set to join a handful of players to have racked up half a century of caps in his next game.
Here are the possible starting lineups:
Angola: Cipriano; Carneiro, Mananga, Gaspar, Ndefe; Show, Fredy; Papel Ary, Gelson, Costa; Nzola
Ghana: Ati-Zigi; Mensah, Aidoo, Amartey, Schindler; Partey, Addo; Ayew, Kudus, Sulemana; Williams.
Prediction
We say: Angola 1-1 Ghana
There was little to choose between Angola and Ghana last time out, and another tight affair is on the cards here. We are anticipating an open and entertaining affair with the teams nullifying each other, giving rise to a share of the spoils at the end of the 90 minutes.
