Ghana get their quest for a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title when they go head-to-head with Cape Verde in the Group B curtain-raiser on Sunday.
Having lost their last four meetings, Bubista’s men will be looking to get one over the Black Stars at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny and kick off their quest for continental glory on a high.
Ghana failed to pick up a morale-boosting result in their final outing before taking center stage in the 2023 AFCON as they were held to a goalless draw by Namibia last Monday.
Chris Hughton’s side have now failed to win four of their last five matches across all competitions, claiming one draw and losing three, including a shock 1-0 defeat against Comoros in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers back in November.
Ghana will now look to find their feet this weekend as they begin their hunt for a fourth continental crown and their first since 1982.
Cape Verde, on the other hand, suffered a 2-0 defeat against Tunisia in a warm-up fixture at the Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi on Wednesday.
This followed a 2-0 victory over Eswatini in the World Cup qualifiers on November 21 which saw their four-game winless run come to an end.
Cape Verde, who are 73rd in the latest FIFA World Rankings, follow Sunday’s Group B opener with a clash against Mozambique on January 19, three days before taking on seven-time African champions Egypt.
Ghana vs Cape Verde Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- With four wins from the last five meetings between the two nations, Ghana boast a clear upper hand in the history of this fixture.
- Cape Verde have picked up just one win in that time, which came in their very first encounter back in May 2021, when they beat the Black Stars 1-0 in the West Africa Nations Cup.
- Ghana have won just one of their last five matches across all competitions while losing three and claiming one draw since last October.
- Cape Verde are winless in five of their last six outings, picking up one draw and losing four since September 2023.
- Hughton’s men are unbeaten in five of their last six competitive matches, claiming three wins and two draws since beating Angola 1-0 in the AFCON qualifiers back in March 2023.
Ghana vs Cape Verde Prediction
Ghana have named a strong 27-man squad and will fancy themselves against a Cape Verde side who have lost their last four meetings. Given the gulf in quality and experience between the two sides, we are backing Ghana to come away with an opening-day victory.
Prediction: Ghana 2-0 Cape Verde
Ghana vs Cape Verde Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Ghana to win
Tip 2: Both sides to score - No (Ghana have kept four clean sheets in their last four games against Cape Verde)
Tip 3: Over 2.5 goals - No (There have also been fewer than three goals scored in four of the last five meetings between the two nations)