Interim Black Stars Captain Thomas Teye Partey has conceded that the Eagles of Mali are a strong side.
He, however, believes the Black Stars can match them and that will start by stopping their best players.
The Arsenal midfielder was speaking on Wednesday, June 5 at a pre-match conference of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Mali and Ghana.
The game is scheduled to be played on Thursday, June 6 at the Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako, Mali.
The Malians are favourites following recent decent performances.
They topped their group at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament held in La Cote d’Ivoire, exiting at the quarter-final stage after losing in extra-time to the hosts and eventual champions.
They are yet to lose a game in the qualifiers, sitting second behind Comoros.
The Eagles beat Chad 3-1 in their first qualifier but surprisingly drew 1-1 against the Central African Republic.
“I think Mali have a strong team,” Captain Partey conceded.
“They’ve shown in their recent game as coach said and we have to do our best to try and stop them and stop their best players and also concentrate on our way of playing and try to get the results we want.”
Kick-off is at 7:00pm.
A win for Mali will see them go top of Group I while a win for Ghana will see them go up to second behind Comoros.
