The first African captain to win the Under-20 World Cup, Andre Ayew, is advising his compatriots at the 2013 World Youth Championship to be mentally strong before they can beat their opponents.

The Black Satellites are housed in Group A with France, Spain and USA in the 19th edition of the competition in Turkey. Ghana kick-off their opening game against France on Friday.

Ayew, who led the Ghana U20 to lift the world trophy in Egypt in 2009, has been warning his colleagues to be aware of the arduous task ahead.

“First of all, I'd advise them to prepare well mentally, because it's a long and draining competition,” the 23-year-old son of Africa football legend Abedi Pele told Fifa.com.

“You have to prepare yourself to go through difficult moments and you have to be prepared for tough times on the pitch, in games where strong nerves and mental strength will make the difference.

“You have to be ready to really battle, all in the knowledge that your efforts will perhaps be rewarded at the end of the competition,” the Olympique Marseille midfielder noted.