16 Black Stars players begin training ahead of Sudan double-header

Ghana will face the Northeast African country in a double-header qualifier, with the first game set to be played on Thursday at the Cape Coast stadium.

CK Akonnor and his charges will then travel to Khartoum for the return fixture, as both teams aim to secure qualification to the 2022 AFCON.

On Monday, the Black Stars coach supervised light training after 16 played arrived in camp ahead of the game.

Captain Andre Ayew, his brother Jordan Ayew and Asante Kotoko goalkeeper Razak Abalora took part in the training.

Others are John Antwi, Kwadwo Amoako, Tariq Fosu, Emmanuel Lomotey, Nicholas Opoku, Afriyie Acquah and Samuel Owusu.

The rest are Baba Abdul Rahman, Alexander Djiku, John Boye, Christopher Nettey, Lawrence Ati-Zigi and Caleb Ekuban.

The Black Stars are, however, likely to be without the services of Thomas Partey, who suffered an injury over the weekend.

The Arsenal midfielder was substituted at half-time during the Gunners’ 3-0 defeat against Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that Partey will undergo scans to known the extent of his injury.

“I don't know. As I said, the doctor will have to have a look at him and probably scan him. Then we will decide what to do with him,” the Spaniard said.

“We don't know [whether he will withdraw]. We have to scan him tomorrow or the day after and see what he felt straight away. Let's wait and see what the magnitude of the injury is.”

Meanwhile, Ghana’s game against Sudan will be played behind closed doors due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

A statement from the Ghana Football Association (GFA) said the decision is in compliance with safety measures put in place by CAF.

It said, “players, technical team members, essential service providers and ball boys will undergo a mandatory COVID-19 tests before the match.”

“The General public is hereby informed that Ghana’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan will take place behind closed doors.

“This is part of a number of measures taken by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), to ensure that games are played in the safest possible way. According to CAF, games have to be played under strict conditions to ensure that players, referees and officials are protected from the coronavirus pandemic,” the statement added.