Black Stars head coach Otto Addo says Ghana’s preparations for Tuesday’s international friendly against South Korea have been severely disrupted by a wave of injuries and logistical challenges in securing replacement players.
The Black Stars have been struck by multiple withdrawals in the last 72 hours. Francis Abu’s broken leg in Friday’s 2-0 defeat to Japan was the biggest blow, while Mohammed Salisu and Antoine Semenyo have also departed camp to receive treatment at their respective clubs.
They join a long list of senior players who did not make the Asian tour, including Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, and Fatawu Issahaku leaving Addo with just 19 players available.
Speaking ahead of the South Korea clash, Addo admitted that assembling a complete squad under such circumstances has been difficult.
“We are happy to be here. We were facing some difficulties with some injured players,” Addo said. “It is also, to be honest, not so easy for us to get replacements because of visa problems and issues. It is always not possible for us to get fast replacements. But we prepared very well.”
The coach revealed that the technical team had to adjust their match plan due to the limited squad size, but insisted the players in camp are motivated and ready.
Despite the setbacks, Addo remains optimistic that Ghana will give a strong account of themselves against a South Korean team featuring stars such as Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in.
Kick-off is scheduled for 11:00 am local time on Tuesday at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
