Soccer News of Saturday, 17 March 2007

Source: Ghanaian Chronicle

U-17 ACN: It's Ghana - Nigeria Again

...Starlets to maintain winning ways
GHANA'S BLACK Starlets confront their toughest test in the on going African U-17 championship when they play their Nigerian counterparts in their last Group B game in Kegue today.

Having run amok over Eritrea in their last game, the Ghanaians are expected to throw in much to maintain the recent aura of invincibility against their Nigerian counterparts.

Indeed, the Nigerians appear vengeful and seem armed to the teeth to go past the Starlets to redeem their dented image suffered at the hands of Ghanaian teams in recent times.

The Nigerians, like their Ghanaian compatriots, have gone past two games winning all with impressive results and this seems to have heightened tension in both camps. The Nigerians are leading the Group B standings with six points ahead of their Ghanaians counterparts on superior goals advantage.

Certainly, the Ghanaians are expected to fly on the wings of their recent dominance over the Nigerians to carry the day.

And unlike the Nigerians, who conceded a goal in their 2-1 win over Burkina Faso, the Ghanaians are yet to pick a ball from their net, and this obviously suggests the impregnability of the Ghanaians backline.

For the Ghanaians who have both legs firmly planted in the next stage of the competition, a win over their opponents is as important as grabbing the ultimate, taking into account Ghana's dominance over their West African neighbours, the recent being the Black Meteors qualification to the All African Games before home fans in Abuja six days ago.

In the other Group B clash, Burkina Faso, who are yet to fetch a point in the competition would want to vent their venom on bottom-placed, Eritrea at Lome.

Today at Kegue competition host, Togo, will seek to make amends in their game against Gabon, while Group leaders Tunisia, battle South Africa in the other Group A match.