What: World Cup 2018 Qualifier
Match: Comoros v Ghana
Date: November 13, 2015

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ASAMOAH GYAN SET TO HIT 50 GOALS

The Black Stars captain is on the cusp of hitting 50 international goals for Ghana. Having made his debut for Ghana at a tender age of 17 in 2003, the precocious striker has grown in leaps and bounds to become arguably the most prolific striker to don the Black Stars jersey.

In 93 appearances, Gyan has 48 goals.

And with two games coming up against Comoros in the space of four days, many will not bet against him hitting the big five-oh. His career with the Stars has been topsy turvy. He possibly could have hit the 50 goal mark earlier had he not gone on a self imposed exile in 2012. All the same, there will be no better place to reach this landmark than on home soil. Hopefully, the fans in Kumasi will be treated with this historical moment.

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AVRAM GRANT'S FIRST GAME IN KUMASI

The fans in Kumasi may be treated with what possibly could be a history defining moment should Gyan net his 50th Ghana goal but amidst all of this will be Avram’s Grant first game in charge at the Baba Yara Stadium. The Israeli will be in the Kumasi dug out for the first time since his appointment barely a year ago. In this period, the Stars have only played one home game - and it was in Accra against Mauritius. Other games for the Stars during Grant’s tenure have been in Equatorial Guinea, France and Rwanda. What does Avram have in store for the Kumasi fans?

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JORDAN AYEW COULD HIT DOUBLE DIGITS IN GOALS

The Aston Villa striker is already in his best goal scoring year for the Black Stars after bagging four goals in 2015. It's his highest since his Ghana debut in 2010. He scored in Ghana’s semifinal win over Equatorial Guinea, a brace against Mauritius and the winner against Congo. 

Jordan is currently on nine goals at senior level and, with two matches on the horizon, is set to reach double figures. He had a slow start to his international career but the talented striker is slowly, but surely, finding his feet. And with Asamoah Gyan negotiating the age bend into his 30s, Jordan can grab the chance to spearhead the Ghana attack for some time to come.

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CHRISTIAN ATSU MISSES FIRST COMPETITIVE GAME UNDER AVRAM GRANT

One of the mainstays of Avram Grant’s setup has been Bournemouth winger Christian Atsu. Irrespective of his poor club form, the winger has never been overlooked by the Israeli coach. In all eight competitive games this year, Atsu has starred.

The script will certainly be different this time with the winger out of the squad with an injury. The mantle will now fall on either Solomon Asante (TP Mazembe), David Accam (Chicago Fire) or new boy Samuel Tetteh (WAFA) to provide the width for Ghana on the right flank. Atsu last missed a competitive game for Ghana almost a year ago (19th November 2014) when he failed to make Maxwell Konadu’s team against Togo in Tamale.

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SAMUEL TETTEH COULD MAKE GHANA DEBUT

The youngster could make his debut for the Black Stars. The WAFA attacker has risen through the ranks at the academy side as well as for the national youth teams. Only in the year 2015, Tetteh has featured for the national under 20 team, the national Olympic team and the local Black Stars.

His year could be complete should he make his debut for the Black Stars. The only remaining member in current Black Stars set-up who made a step up from the Satellites to the local Black Stars to the Black Stars is midfielder Emmanuel Agyeman Badu.

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RABIU MOHAMMED HAS NOT MADE A COMPETITIVE START SINCE SENEGAL LOSS

Badu’s midfield partner in the 2009 under 20 World Cup triumph is yet to start a competitive game for the Black Stars since their 2-1 defeat against Senegal in January. The emergence of Afriyie Acquah and Mubarak Wakaso as a duo have pushed the strong tackling midfielder down the pecking order. The pair have started every competitive game for the Black Stars since Ghana’s 2-1 win over South Africa in the Afcon - with the exception of the Mauritius game where Agyeman Badu replaced Acquah. Rabiu will have to bide his time and hope to force his way back into the Stars team soon.

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PHIL OFOSU AYEH COULD MAKE COMPETITIVE DEBUT

The young full-back could make his competitive debut for the Stars in these two upcoming games. Ayeh featured for Ghana in the 1-1 friendly against Canada but is yet to feature in a game of real importance. The Comoros double header offers him a perfect opportunity to represent his country in a competitive game. As to whether he could displace Harrison Afful is solely based on his performances and how best he impresses Avram Grant. All in all, Ghanaians will be itching to see the stuff Ayeh is made of.

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EBENEZER ASSIFUAH CALLED UP, WILL HE FINALLY PLAY?

Assifuah was called up to the squad to face Rwanda in September but did not feature. The FC Sion has been in good goal scoring form for his club side and, despite bursting onto the scene in 2013, he is yet to play for the senior national team. The Comoros tie affords him a good chance to prove his worth especially if Ghana get an impressive away win on Friday.

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SAMUEL TETTEH IS THE FIRST LOCAL OUTFIELD PLAYER TO BE CALLED UNDER AVRAM GRANT

One criticism of the Israeli trainer has been the little or no attention he has given to the local leagues. But he has finally called up an outfield player who plays in the local premier league. Till date, all local players called up have just been 'keepers. Tetteh’s call up brings to an end a two-year spell without a local outfield player in the Black Stars. The last time an outfield player was called was in June 2013 when Kwesi Appiah called then Hearts of Oak forward Mahatma Otoo.

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MORE THAN 2 LOCAL PLAYERS CALLED UP FOR FIRST TIME IN THREE YEARS

Tetteh’s inclusion also means more than two local players have been called up for the first time since 2012. The squad has had a maximum of 2 local players for a considerable period of time. The 2012 squad comprised of Ernest Sowah, Richard Kissi-Boateng and Emmanuel Clottey who were at Berekum Chelsea and Ben Acheampong of Kotoko. They were called up by Kwesi Appiah for his first official games in charge of Ghana against Lesotho and Zambia in the 2014 World Cup qualifier.

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