Ghana defender Alexander Djiku is among the players unavailable for the Black Stars due to injury
Ghana’s squad for the final two 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers has been dealt multiple blows following the withdrawal of eight players from the squad.
The Black Stars face Angola in Luanda on November 15 in the penultimate match before hosting Niger in the last match at the Accra Sports Stadium three days later.
Ghana sit third in Group F with two points from four matches and their chances to qualify for the next AFCON in Morocco looks extremely thin as they trail Sudan by five points and 10 behind Angola. The Black Stars need to win their final two matches and hope for help elsewhere to overtake second placed Sudan and join Angola as the qualified nations from Group F.
Below is the statement from the Ghana Football Association’s website on the reasons the eight players dropped out of the squad:
Eight players have withdrawn from the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola and Niger due to various reasons. They include, Antoine Semenyo, Iñaki Williams, Jonas Adjetey, Tariq Lamptey, Jerome Opoku, Alexander Djiku, Ibrahim Osman and Joseph Paintsil. Read on to learn more about the reasons for withdrawal:
Inaki Williams: Hamstring injury picked up on November 7 and has since not been able to train.
Tariq Lamptey: Calf discomfort that got aggravated last week and currently undergoing rehabilitation with his club.
Jonas Adjetey: Jonas was on his way to full recovery but had a setback in their last League game on Saturday, November 9, 2024.
Jerome Opoku: Chronic back pain which got worse during a Süper Lig game against Besiktas on Sunday, November 10. Jerome is currently undergoing rehabilitation with his club.
Antoine Semenyo: Nursing an injury of the patella tendon due to overload of games. The Club medical team thought it wise to use the break to refer him to a tendon specialist to prevent worsening of the injury.
Alexander Djiku: It’s an aggravation of an existing hamstring that got him substituted in their last game on Sunday, November 10, 2024.
Ibrahim Osman: He picked up a hamstring injury in his last outing for his club which got him substituted at half time.
Joseph Painstil: Personal
Update: Ghana coach Otto Addo has called in five replacements listed below.
Photo Credit: Ghana Football Association
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