The Black Stars made the bus journey from Johannesburg to Swaziland on Friday for their opening 2012 Nations Cup qualifier but Rajevac reckons the drain from that journey will be nothing like what they have to endure for 90 minutes against their Southern African opponents. The Serbian has made Nations Cup glory in 2012 his top priority and while he admits their qualifying group with Sudan, Congo and Swaziland looks easy on the surface, he expects the three teams to stretch his team of experienced campaigners and brilliant youngsters till the final ball is kicked. He has dubbed the Swaziland game ‘very very important’ and knows just the right attitude needed to get them. “My job as the coach is to keep the players grounded, to remind them that there is so much to achieve especially because they did well at the World Cup,” he told KickOffGhana.com. “We need to first qualify for the Nations Cup and that is what I will be hoping the players will do.” The Serbian only got his full set of players when striker Asamoah Gyan and Richard Kingson both joined on Friday. The two stayed over in England to complete moves to Premiership clubs during the transfer window but are all certain to start. John Paintsil and Hans Sarpei are the favourites for the right back and left back slots while Jonathan Mensah and Isaac Vorsah should form the central defensive partnership. Kevin-Prince Boateng and Anthony Annan should continue their midfield duo act that worked so efficiently at the 2010 World Cup but if the ankle knock Boateng picked up earlier in the week in training prevents him from playing, then Emmanuel Agyemang Badu looks the most likely. Samuel Inkoom could start at the right side of midfield with Dede Ayew deployed to the left and Kwadwo Asamoah the advanced man forward. It is a line up, Ghana hopes will make this as smooth a take off as possible.
Rajevac urges modesty as qualifiers begin
