[ 2013-12-05 ]

A fit squad remains Appiah's prime concern ahead of draw
Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah insists his greatest
concern is to have an injury-free squad as he
waits for the outcome of Friday's 2014 FIFA World
Cup draw.

With the top pot of seeds made up of hosts Brazil,
champions Spain, Argentina and Germany, the Black
Stars, unseeded, are expected to draw a former
winner in their group when the draw is made in
Bahia.

Appiah says once a team is part of the 32
qualified sides, anything is to be expected when
the draw is made.

"Automatically, once you find your way through the
qualifiers to this stage of waiting for the draw,
you can only wait and see who you are paired with
and start planning," Appiah told www.ghanafa.org.

"It's the scheduling of the fixtures and plotting
your way around it with your squad that is
crucial.

"You will definitely meet some teams ahead of you
and some former winners. It's the biggest stage of
world football and so that should be expected."

The Black Stars coach is counting on every
Ghanaian player as he peruses through his tall
list before selecting his final 23.

"My greatest concern is to have all my players
available and without any injuries. I pray for
that. I hope we arrive in Brazil with a solid unit
and we will take it from there.

"I know what my players can do and they have the
qualities to show their credentials once again,"
the Ghana coach said.

The World Cup will be Appiah's second tournament
as Black Stars coach, having led the team to
fourth-place at the last African Nations Cup.

Having being a part of Ghana's team at the
previous World Cup in an assistant coaching
capacity where the Black Stars missed the
semi-final narrowly, the former international
knows what the tournament means as he leads
Ghana's third-straight appearance.

"It's [World Cup] greater in terms of feat as
compared to other tournaments. It's great to be a
part of it but more importantly, we are not just
trying to be a part of it.

"We have an ambition and on paper, every team is
strong but in football, just one kick can make a
difference in 90 minutes.

"We need to make that difference," he said.


Pot 1: Brazil, Spain, Germany, Argentina,
Colombia, Belgium, Switzerland and Uruguay

Pot 2: Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana,
Nigeria, Chile and Ecuador.

Pot 3: Australia, Iran, Japan, Korea Republic,
Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, and the USA.

Pot 4: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, England,
France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and
Russia.

Source - Ghana FA

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