Many think that it is the Socceroos of Australia that have to go for broke in today’s crucial encounter against the Black Stars. But Ghana's coach, Milovan Rajevac, says his team can't go for anything less.
"We are at the crossroad and the match against Australia is the one that can guarantee us our ticket for the round of 16. We win or burst.
"As the Australians will like to do, we have to throw in everything to secure victory in this match. It is as important to us as it is to the Australians", coach Milo told his players after a workout.
"Let no one be deceived by our victory over Serbia or Australia's big, 4-0 loss to Germany to think the second round is automatic for us."
"To be on the safer side, it is important we go all out to win against Australia and that is the only way our next match, the last in the group against Germany, will be less tasking", coach Milo stressed.
Australia must win today or get knocked out, of the World Cup, their last match against, Serbia notwithstanding.
Since their humiliating 0-4 loss to Germany, the Aussies have not slept. Suspected visits to the Stars' camp disguised by their technical scouts to know at first hand the training regimen and the tactical disposition of coach Milo and his charges have been widely reported.
They know it is only a win over Ghana today that can rescue their fizzling World Cup campaign which has also been tormented by the suspension of their most treasured player, Tim Cahill of Everton of England fame in the first match.
The Aussie coach, Pim Verbeek, also knows that the only way he can keep his job is for them to beat Ghana and possibly repeat the dose in their last group match against Serbia to advance.
But will his Ghanaian counterpart, Milovan Rajevac, lower the kite after flying high in his 1-0 defeat of his native Serbia?
That will be ridiculous, having declared a sweepstake in all three matches of the group. The Serbian coach is determined to make history with Ghana by being the first ever to take the Stars to the World Cup's round of 16 unscathed.
That will be one more feather in his cap than his compatriot, Ratomir Djukovic, the first coach to qualify the Stars for their first ever World Cup in Germany in 2006 where they reached the second round, but who lost one game in the first round of matches to Italy.
A clean sheet this time by the Stars will instantly give coach Milo and his players a heroic and an iconic status as Ghana will become one of the favoured African teams to go far in the tournament after the hosts floundered last Wednesday, being beaten 3-0 by Uruguay.
In this regard, coach Milo hopes to parade his best Key stars, skipper Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari, have shown tremendous form at training to be in any team's starting line-up. But the Stars trainer is not in a hurry to shuffle the team that won against Serbia.
And more so when young talents, Andre Dede Ayew, Kwadwo Asamoah and new poster boy, Kevin-Prince Boateng, who played in the places of their more illustrious senior colleagues, continue to illuminate at the team's training sessions.
What is likely is the coach sending on Appiah and Sulley from the bench as and when their services will be required to give the Black Stars the crucial insurance win today.
Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana
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