Ghana head coach, Otto Addo has insisted that his side’s Unity Cup showdown with Nigeria should not be mistaken for a friendly.
The Black Stars will face the Super Eagles on Wednesday night at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford in the semi-final of the four-nation Unity Cup tournament.
Despite the tournament being labelled as friendly, Addo emphasized the emotional and competitive stakes at play whenever Ghana and Nigeria meet.
“I think everyone knows what it’s about, surely, it’s a friendly game, but it’s not really a friendly game,” Addo said at the pre-match press conference.
“So yeah, we know what it’s about, and we want our people to be proud of us, and we want our people to talk from a certain perspective, and surely, it’s always about who has the better team. And sometimes margins can decide the outcome of the game.”
The teams last met in March 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco, where Nigeria claimed a 2-1 win; a result that extended Ghana’s winless streak to four matches.
Addo will be without key names including Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Partey, and Antoine Semenyo.
“I think normally, to be honest, we are on the same level. But yeah, we’re hoping that we will win, hoping that we’ll be successful. It’s going to be tough, but I’m sure we can do it,” Addo said.
Also participating in the tournament are Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, who face off on May 27.
The winner of the Ghana vs Nigeria clash will progress to the final on May 31, while the loser will feature in the third-place playoff.
