Ghana Coach Kwesi Appiah said he would have wished to battle it out with tournament favourites Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals instead of Cape Verde.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Appiah said if he had his way he would have changed the pairings to ensure that the Black Stars face the Elephants because the Blue Sharks have got nothing to lose.

The former Ghana international said despite his views, he still holds a lot of respect for the Islanders and will employ every strategy to cripple their chances of making history with the Black Stars.

“We need to respect Cape Verde,” Appiah said. “They are 100 per cent disciplined. It is not going to be easy. We need to work more to go past them.”

He added: “I’ll prefer to meet Ivory Coast than meeting Cape Verde. When you are playing a team that has got nothing to lose it’s difficult because there is no pressure on them. That is the fear in me.”

Ghana have booked a quarter-final date with the debutants on Saturday after leading their group following an emphatic 3-0 win over Niger.