Chris Hughton confident Ghana will be ready for 2023 AFCON with balanced squad

Coach Chris Hughton is confident that the Black Stars will be fully prepared for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) early next year.

He aims to assemble a balanced squad, comprising both experienced and young players, for the tournament scheduled to commence on January 13.

Hughton’s side is set to face record champions Egypt, along with Cape Verde and Mozambique, in the group stage

In preparation for the AFCON, the Black Stars played a friendly match against Mexico on Saturday, which they lost 2-0. They are now gearing up for their next friendly against the USA on Tuesday night in Tennessee, hoping to secure a positive result.

Addressing the press ahead of the USA match, Hughton emphasised the importance of squad balance and continuity. He stated, “I am quite sure that we will be ready. But again, I have to speak about balances because we have two top friendlies here against two very, very good teams.”

Hughton further elaborated on the challenges of maintaining squad consistency, noting, “We have six players missing from the regular squad, and that can be the case for the next squad or the one after that. You don’t want to be bringing players in for their first cap or their second cap when you potentially might be missing key players.”

Despite these challenges, Hughton expressed confidence in their preparations, stating, “We have a tremendous friendly tomorrow, a top-quality friendly, and two World Cup qualification games to make sure that we are alright for the Africa Cup of Nations. We will be prepared for sure. We will get the right balance of experienced players and players who have just come into the squad, and we will be ready for what will be a very tough tournament.”

The Black Stars’ opening game in Ivory Coast is scheduled for January 14, where they will face Cape Verde.