Sports Mole previews Monday’s World Cup Qualifying – Africa clash between Ghana and Central African Republic, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Ghana will be looking to make it two wins on the bounce when they host Central African Republic in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on Monday.
Both sides head into this clash on the back of morale-boosting victories and will be hoping to build momentum.
Match preview
© Reuters
Following their failure to progress beyond the group stage at the last African Cup of Nations, Ghana re-appointed Otto Addo for a second spell in charge of the Black Stars, replacing former Norwich City manager Chris Hughton.
Addo faced a significant challenge after Ghana only picked up three points from their opening two 2026 World Cup qualifiers, losing 1-0 to Comoros after a 1-0 win over Madagascar.
March’s international friendlies offered little reassurance, with a 2-1 defeat to Nigeria and a 2-2 draw against Uganda. However, they turned things around in style on Thursday, securing a dramatic 2-1 victory against an in-form Mali.
The Black Stars fell behind when Kamory Doumbia scored for Mali in first-half stoppage time, but Ernest Nuamah equalised in the second half before Jordan Ayew snatched all three points with a stoppage-time winner.
The victory propelled Ghana to six points from three matches, placing them third in the group, level on points with leaders Madagascar and second-placed Comoros.
They will be hoping to add another win against a side they have a one-win, one-draw record against in their two previous meetings.
Central African Republic claimed their first win of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers thanks to Venuste Baboula’s first-half strike, securing a 1-0 victory over Chad.
Raoul Savoy’s team sit in fifth place with four points from three matches ahead of Monday’s encounter. With the point distance in the group still very close, a win will see them leapfrog Ghana and closer to the top of the table.
Les Fauves have been in excellent form recently, boasting an unbeaten run of four consecutive matches. They have scored a remarkable 12 goals while conceding just once and keeping three clean sheets in a row.
However, Monday’s game will be their toughest test yet, as they travel to a country where they lost last September, marking their only previous visit.
Ghana World Cup Qualifying – Africa form:
Ghana form (all competitions):
Central African Republic World Cup Qualifying – Africa form:
Central African Republic form (all competitions):
Team News
© Reuters
Inaki Williams, Joseph Paintsil, Majeed Ashimeru, Baba Iddrisu, Nathaniel Adjei, Denis Odoi and Daniel Amartey are all injured and are not with the Ghanaian squad.
Captain Andre Ayew was not invited by Addo, putting his trust in younger players to deliver the goods.
The front three consisting of West Ham’s talisman Mohammed Kudus, Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and Lyon’s Nuamah will likely take to the pitch once again.
CAR’s record goalscorer, Louis Mafouta, will hope to score his first goal of this World Cup qualifying campaign when he leads the line again.
Baboula has directly contributed to the visitors’ last two goals in World Cup qualifying games, and he is a man to watch out for.
Ghana possible starting lineup:
Ati-Zigi; Seidu, Djiku, Salisu; Mensah, Samed, Partey, Lamptey; Kudus, Semenyo, Nuamah
Central African Republic possible starting lineup:
Youfeigane; Tatolna, Ndoba, Youga, Yangao; Solet, Pirioua, Kondogbia; Baboula, Mafouta, Malipangou
We say: Ghana 1-0 Central African Republic
Ghana’s win in their last match and the manner it happened is one that can serve as a turning point. The hosts have way more quality compared to the visitors and it’s all about if they play well as a team. We think that the Black Stars will edge this.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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Publish date : 2024-06-08 19:56:00
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