The captain of the senior national team, Stephen Appiah, said Ghana?s recent fine form will continue with a decisive win over Australia in Loftus Road Stadium, London on Tuesday (Wednesday morning in Australia)

?Australia is a difficult side and I expect a stern test, but I?m confident we can deal with them.? Appiah said in an interview with GHP

Ghana will have several of the players who performed so strongly at the World cup in Germany, but the captain is worried about injuries to Asamoah Gyan, John Mensah and Shilla Illisu, which might make them unavailable. However, he believes the team still has capable substitutes.

?We did well at the world cup and still have most of the players in place, so I expect us to win? the captain continued.

Appiah left for London on Saturday

WORLD CUP

The Black Stars went as far as Australia in Germany and both countries have World Cup experience of playing Italy. The Socceroos lost in heartbreaking fashion in a last-minute penalty in the first knockout stage. Ghana lost its opening game to the Azzurri 2-0 but recovered well enough to defeat both the Czech Republic and the US in subsequent matches.

Australia?s defender Lucas Neill and midfielders Tim Cahill, Josip Skoko and are doubts for the game because of injury

Ghana?s squad is expected to contains men who play at the highest levels and regularly feature in the Champions League ? such as Michael Essien, PSV Eindhoven's Eric Addo and Fenerbahce's Stephen Appiah ? and little-known men such as English lower division strikers Junior Agogo (Nottingham Forest) and Derek Asamoah from Shrewsbury Town.

Like Australia, Ghana also has a handful of players who ply their trade in Italy's Serie A, so Parma's Socceroo Vince Grella and Udinese's Sulley Muntari will need no introduction when they clash next week, the duo having met each other last month in a league match.

Muntari ended the game early, red-carded after exchanging blows with Grella, in an incident that earned him a two-match suspension.

For the Australians, Tuesday's friendly is another step toward next year's Asian Cup. Ghana's focus is on hosting the 2008 African Cup of Nations. Australia last met Ghana in 1996, when goals from Paul Trimboli and Damien Mori were the difference for a Socceroo side.