Jordan Ayew to captain Black Stars against Sudan today

The Black Stars will look to seal qualification to the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon when they face Sudan in Khartoum this afternoon.

Coach CK Akonnor is, however, without all three of his skippers, who have been ruled out of the game either through injury or suspension.

Substantive captain Andre Ayew suffered a muscle strain while training with the team on Saturday and has returned to Swansea City.

READ ALSO: John Mahama’s son Sharaf embarks on project to support kids in Bole through football

Deputy captain Thomas Partey was not called up for this month’s international assignments after also getting injured at Arsenal, while Richard Ofori, who is the third captain in the pecking order, has also been suspended for the Sudan clash due to accumulated yellow cards.

According to a report by Ghanasoccernet, the technical handlers of the Black Stars have decided to name Jordan Ayew as a stand-in captain for the game.

The 29-year-old will, therefore, be captaining the team for the first time since making his debut a decade a goal.

Meanwhile, CK Akonnor insists his team has trained well and is ready to secure victory against Sudan.

“We have to be positive, whatever it is, we are prepared and we will be ready for tomorrow,” he told GFA.org.

“The likes of Wakaso and Ofori have always been positive within the team in terms of team spirit and how to move the boys to follow the rhythm and I think it’s been positive and we are hoping that they translate that into the game tomorrow.”

Speaking on the absence of Andre Ayew, who scored two goals against Sudan last week, the Black Stars coach said: “First of all, he is the leader of the team and so if you don’t have your leader, it’s always a problem.

“But having said that, these are professionals, they have been Europe for quite sometime now, they are doing well so they know what to do, and of course, with a bit of guidance from the technical team, I think they will be able to do well. “

Ghana currently sits top of Group C of the 2021 AFCON qualifiers with nine points from three games.