Qatar 2022: We will do our talking on the pitch against Portugal - Andre Ayew

Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Andre Ayew said the Black Stars are hoping to start their campaign on a winning note against Portugal on Thursday in a Group H encounter.

He opined that the match against Portugal will be a tough one but the Black Stars will show their pedigree on the pitch for 90 minutes. He said the team has put in work and is ready to compete against the best.

“We all know that if we are going to get into this game Portugal are the ones who are favourites on paper.

“But after, we have to show that on paper is not what will happen on the pitch so we are ready.

“We are ready and we know we are playing a big side who were European Champions some years back who have top players. But we believe in ourselves and we know what is ahead of us and we are going to do everything to make it difficult for them,'” he stated at the pre-game conference.

Portugal will be looking to surpass their performance from the 2018 World Cup, where they were knocked out in the second round by Uruguay.

The Selecao have been tipped as one of the favourites to win the competition, but they have only made it to the semi-final twice in their history (1966 and 2006).

Meanwhile, Ghana are back on the biggest stage after missing the 2018 edition in Russia. The Black Stars are appearing in their fourth World Cup since they first qualified in 2006.

Ghana have quite a good record at the World Cup, having qualified from their group on two previous occasions, including the 2010 World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final.

Head-to-Head

This is the second time the two sides will meet at the World Cup after they clashed in 2014, with Portugal winning 2-1 on that day.

Portugal's form (WWLWLW)

Ghana's form (WDLLWW)

Both sides head into the game in great form after winning their warmup games before the tournament.

Ghana stunned Switzerland, while Portugal secured a dominant victory over Nigeria