Ghana forward Brandon Thomas-Asante says the Black Stars must take full advantage of their two-match meeting with Somalia as they look to revive their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
The Group C rivals will meet twice, with both fixtures being played at the Essipong Sports Stadium. Ghana’s first leg is scheduled for Thursday.
The four-time African champions have made a difficult start to qualifying, losing their opening two matches against Ivory Coast and The Gambia. Those defeats leave them bottom of Group C without a point and make the double-header particularly significant.
Thomas-Asante says Ghana’s players are aware of the importance of the opportunity and are focused on producing the performances required to secure a change in fortunes.
“We are not here to joke around or anything. We are here knowing we have got to put our best foot forward and to maximise this opportunity. You look around the squad, we’ve got the quality,” the Coventry City forward said.
The 28-year-old believes Ghana have the ability to recover from their disappointing opening results, although he acknowledged that the squad must demonstrate its quality during the two matches rather than simply rely on its potential.
“We understand the task at hand, and everyone is here on a mission. We are here knowing we have to maximise this opportunity. We believe we have that quality and we can show it in these games,” he added.
Ghana missed out on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and are determined to avoid another failure to reach the continent’s leading international tournament.
The 2027 edition will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Qualification remains a priority for the Black Stars, who now face the need to respond quickly after their winless start in Group C.