Preview: Ghana vs Guinea

The Big Picture: Group A. Ghana vs Guinea. Accra. 17:00 kick-off, local time (17:00 GMT, 18:00 CET, 12:00 EST, 09:00 PST)

It’s the opening game. If you’re not excited then go and watch another sport, because football isn’t for you. Hosts Ghana will want to come out all guns blazing and impress the Accra crowd. But Guinea are no mugs and are more than capable of giving Ghana a game. So once the opening ceremony (never my favourite part to be honest) is done with we’re expecting a good game of football.

Scout Report - Ghana:

Captain Stephen Appiah is with the squad for inspiration, but completely out of action through injury. So it’s all on Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien. Amongst the best in the word, we’ll find out if he’s up to the task of carrying the hopes of an entire host nation on his shoulders. Rennes defender John Mensah will be wearing the armband in Appiah’s place, and he’s a brick wall of a man. You don’t get the nickname “Rock of Gibraltar” for nothing. Sulley Muntari has a sweet left foot, Andre Dede Ayew is the 18-year-old son of Abedi Pele and an Arsenal transfer target. On loan Celta Vigo striker/winger Quincy Owusu-Abeyie recently received clearance to play after successfully switching nationalities (he had played for the Dutch Under 21s) while Udinese striker Asamoah Gyan is also in the clear after concerns about the red card he picked up at World Cup 2006. Full Ghana team preview here

Scout Report - Guinea:

The Syli Nationale aren’t just here to make up the numbers. They’ve got Celtic’s Bobo Balde at the back, St. Etienne’s mercurial Pascal Feindouno pulling the strings in midfield and a wealth of forward talent pulling th trigger. Take your pick from French Ligue 1 strikers Souleymane Youla and Fodé Mansaré, or Dynamo Kiev dangerman Ismaël Bangoura. Full Guinea team preview here.

Kit vs Kit Ghana in white, Guinea in red. See how the kits match up here.

Team Blogs: Inara runs the excellent Ghana team blog. We don’t currently have a Guinea blog, get in touch if you’re interested in changing that.

Live Blog: The Ghana vs Guinea LiveBlog will be fired up about an hour before kick off.