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Who will be in Otto Addo’s squad for Angola and Niger games?

By Frank Appiah
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5 min read
Who will be in Otto Addo’s squad for Angola and Niger games?

Black Stars coach Otto Addo will announce his team for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers on Thursday at 12:00 pm local time.

Ghana will face Angola at the Baba Yara Stadium on September 5 before facing Niger four days later.

The team will be assembling for the first time since their back-to-back victories against Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR) in June in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Otto Addo has proven to be ruthless and confident in making bold decisions evidenced by the omission of Andre Ayew the captain during the previous assignment.

The former Dortmund talent coach is expected to stick with a chunk of his previous choices and will continue to be firm on selecting in-form and active players.

England-based players to dominate squad again

Thomas Partey is expected to lead the team again given his form in the English Premier League. The 30-year-old has stepped up once more at Arsenal in the new season, featuring in both Premier League games and capping it off with a superb goal against Aston Villa last weekend. His form only mirrors that of other Ghanaians in the competition who have all started strongly.

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Jordan Ayew began his Leicester City journey ona good note as he scored a superb goal on Tuesday night in the EFL Cup in his first start.

Given his splendid show for Ghana against Mali where he scored the winning goal as well as a hat-trick against CAR, the 32-year-old is expected to be one of the experienced players to lead Ghana. Fatawu Issahaku’s Premier League debut began with a superb assist and he seemingly is maintaining his strong form from last season.

Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo are also expected to keep their place. Despite Tariq Lamptey’s lack of playing time in the squad, Addo may gamble on his capabilities as well while Kamaldeen Sulemana misses out again due to injury.

Salis Abdul Samed is yet to kick a ball this season and his unstable condition at RC Lens where he is currently seeking a move away means he is a doubt. However, Otto Addo may trust his consistency with the Black Stars and include the former Clermont Foot midfielder. Meanwhile, with the availability of Ibrahim Sulemana, Thomas Partey and others, Ghana may just be okay without him.

Inaki Williams is expected to return to the team after missing out against Mali and CAR due to injury.

Who will miss out?

Kamaldeen Sulemana as earlier emphasised is not fully fit and is expected to be left out of the team.

Again, Ernest Nuamah, touted as one of the bright youngsters in the team lasted only 17 minutes in Olympique Lyon’s home defeat to Monaco over the weekend. The 20-year-old’s name might just be one of the first to make the list but he may now be a doubt due to the knock he picked.

Forson Amankwah has started nicely with Norwich City and was expected to be in the squad as Otto Addo has always fancied young, skillful and energetic players. However, the 21-year-old midfielder was subbed off in the 13th minute during their Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

Andre Ayew is not likely to return to the squad with the 34-year-old now without a club after his Le Havre contract ended.

Joseph Paintsil – Otto Addo saga

Los  Angeles Galaxy forward Joseph Paintsil is currently in the right shape and available for the first time since Otto Addo took over permanently.

The winger was the cause of backlash to the coach during the latter’s first stint with the Black Stars when he omitted the then-inform Genk star from his 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup.

While Paintsil has been a key player for the Black Stars since Otto Addo’s initial departure, he is yet to feature for the former Ghana international who made a return to the job in March.

The reasons this time were peculiar given Paintsil’s unavailability due to migration restrictions after switching to the MLS. Once that was solved, the 26-year-old suffered an injury and was again omitted from the squad.

In 23 games this year, Paintsil has scored eight goals and assisted seven times for LA Galaxy and is hoping to get an invite.

While fingers remain crossed for the announcement which takes place at the GFA Conference room, it is important to acknowledge the surprises that it may come with.

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Frank Appiah is a sports writer with MG Sports, the general sports department of Media General Ghana, serving TV3, 3News, Onua TV and other platforms in the group.

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