Ghana have fifteen days before the World Cup starts and five consecutive defeats to forget. Tomorrow night at Cardiff City Stadium is where that run ends. It has to.
Carlos Queiroz has spent a week at Dragon Park in Cardiff drilling his squad, rebuilding the defensive structure that collapsed against Austria, Germany and Mexico in recent weeks, and figuring out which version of this Black Stars team is the one that shows up against Panama on June 17. Semenyo is in camp and in form after his backheel winner in the FA Cup final for Manchester City. Partey leads the midfield. Ayew brings experience. Baba Abdul Rahman is back in the squad for the first time since September 2023 after an impressive season at PAOK. There is genuine talent in this group. The question Queiroz has been asking all week at training is why it keeps not translating.
Wales are the hosts but Craig Bellamy himself has called this a reasonably tough challenge. The Dragons missed the World Cup, their Nations League A campaign is coming, and Tuesday is a chance to test themselves against a squad packed with Premier League quality before heading to Romania on Saturday. This is Ghana's penultimate match before the tournament. Everything from here has a clock attached to it.
Wales vs Ghana: Key Stats
First ever senior men's international match between these two nations
First time an African nation has played in Wales in senior men's football
Ghana: Lost their last 5 consecutive international matches, conceding 12 goals
Ghana: Panama, England and Croatia awaiting them in Group L at the World Cup
Ghana: Queiroz announces final 26-man World Cup squad on June 1st, one day before this game
Ghana: Kudus and Andre Ayew both absent from squad
Wales: Unbeaten in 4 of their last 5 home internationals
Wales: Missing Johnson, James, Colwill, Harris and Cullen
Baba Abdul Rahman: First Black Stars call-up since September 2023
Ernest Nuamah: Returns from a long ACL injury layoff
Photo Credit (Mundial Soul)
What to Expect
Ghana need to look like a team that can compete at a World Cup. Not just win — look like a team with shape, cohesion and defensive confidence. Queiroz's preferred 4-4-2 gives them width through Fatawu and Kamaldeen, physicality through Ayew up front, and Semenyo beside him giving them directness and pace. The big positive from the squad announcement is the return of Baba Abdul Rahman, who has been one of the best left backs in the Greek Super League this season. That left flank has been leaking all spring and Rahman's presence gives Ghana something they have been missing. Partey needs a performance here. He is Ghana's most important midfielder and the team looks completely different when he controls the tempo.
Wales will be compact, direct, and dangerous on the transition through Lewis Koumas. Bellamy has built a team that is hard to break down on home soil and the Cardiff crowd will give them an energy advantage in the opening stages. Without Johnson and Colwill, the creative quality is limited, but Thomas and Broadhead give them pace and movement that could cause Ghana's makeshift defence problems if they get in behind. This is a serious test for Ghana's back four and Queiroz knows it. Panama on June 17 will ask similar questions.
Predicted Lineups
Wales (4-2-3-1)
Darlow; Williams, Rodon, Mepham, DaSilva; Sheehan, Ampadu; Brooks, Broadhead, Thomas; Koumas
Ghana (4-4-2)
Ati-Zigi; Seidu, Oppong, Djiku, Rahman; Fatawu, Partey, Sibo, Kamaldeen; Semenyo, Ayew
Players to Watch
Antoine Semenyo - The most in-form Ghanaian in this squad by a distance. He scored the FA Cup final winner for Manchester City last weekend and arrives at Cardiff with a confidence none of his teammates can currently match. If Ghana are going to look like a team that can compete in Group L, Semenyo leading the line with that kind of energy is where it starts.
Thomas Partey - Everything goes through him when he is right. Ghana have looked rudderless in midfield all spring and Partey showing up with authority tomorrow would go a long way towards settling the camp before the squad announcement on Sunday and the tournament on the 17th.
Lewis Koumas - Wales' most creative player and the one who can make things happen from nothing. The Liverpool youngster will find pockets of space between Ghana's midfield and defence and if he gets on the ball in dangerous areas early, this game becomes genuinely interesting for the home crowd.
Fatawu Issahaku - The Leicester winger gives Ghana their best outlet on the right side. His pace and directness causes problems for any full back and if he and Rahman combine on the left and right flanks simultaneously, Ghana start to look like the team their qualification results suggested they could be.
Prediction
Prediction: Ghana to win @ 3.82
Ghana are the better squad when they perform to their level and Queiroz has had a full week of preparation in Cardiff specifically for this game. Five consecutive losses is the kind of run that gets fixed with one proper performance and this is exactly the right moment. Wales without their best players will give Ghana room to breathe. Semenyo, Ayew and Partey should have too much quality for a Welsh side in rebuilding mode. Ghana win, end the losing streak, and head to the United States with at least one thing going right.
