Inform Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan says the Black Stars will punch above their weight to secure a fourth straight FIFA World Cup finals slot.

Gyan is the only surviving member of the squad which earned a historic qualification berth for the 2006 finals in Germany.

He leads the current crop of stars to start their campaign to the 2018 World Cup finals against the Cranes of Uganda at the Tamale Stadium on Friday.

"Our actual campaign starts against Uganda next week, and we will be at our best to qualify for Russia," Gyan told Gulf News after scoring a last-gasp goal in Al Ahli’s 3-2 win against neighbours Al Shabab in their preliminary round Arabian Gulf Cup match late on Thursday.

"Personally, I am pretty excited about the prospect of a fourth straight World Cup. But that will follow only if we keep our focus and do well in the qualifiers."