Coach Avram Grant says the Canucks of Canada will give the Black Stars a tough test when the two sides meet in Tuesday’s international friendly at the RFK Stadium in Washington DC,USA.
The friendly game forms part of Ghana’s preparations for next month’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against the winner of the first round qualifying match between Comoros or Lesotho.
Speaking at the press briefing held on Sunday evening, Black Stars coach Grant said football in Canada has improved over the years and he expects a good game when the two sides meet.
“Football has developed very well in Canada. I was at a game between Toronto FC and Chicago Fire last week. It was a good game and the football has developed a lot since 20 years ago when I first watched a football game there,” the Israeli trainer said.
“It’s a friendly game but we couldn’t get our full squad here due to various reasons. However, there are a lot of Ghanaian footballers around the world so am giving these players an opportunity to show their talent and to prove that they deserve a place in the national team”, he added.
Assistant coach of the Canadian national team Michael Findlay also praised the quality of footballers that Ghana possesses, adding that his side cannot afford to take the Black Stars for granted.
“Ghana has high quality in their team and we know there are new players coming through with some who are based here in America. They have some key players injured but we can’t take their team for granted.”
“We have done our research on the team and we are aware of the competition Ghana will give us”, Findlay said at the press briefing held at the Ghana Embassy in America.
The friendly match will kick off at 7:00pm local time (11:00pm GMT).