The Gambia assistant coach Abdul Jammeh has claimed that the Scorpions are missing players who are more important to their team than those Ghana will be without ahead of Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.
Jammeh acknowledged that Ghana has been hit by injuries and other player absences but insisted that The Gambia are also dealing with significant setbacks ahead of the crucial Group C encounter.
According to the assistant coach, the five players unavailable to The Gambia have collectively scored almost 24 goals, highlighting their importance to the team.
“We are missing some players and the 5 players we’ve missed, I think they are more important than those of the Black Stars because between those 5 players we’ve missed, they have scored almost 24 goals between them, so I don’t think the players the Black Stars have missed are of the same magnitude,” he said.
Jammeh also pointed to the limited amount of time The Gambia have spent with their players compared with Ghana under head coach Carlos Queiroz.
“Because the past 6 months we’ve only had 10 days with our players while Carlos has had maybe 40 days with the players, but we have prepared our players well enough and if you want to see, come to the game tomorrow,” he said.
Ghana will head into the encounter without several key players due to injuries and other medical concerns. Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo, Jordan Ayew and Thomas Partey are among those unavailable for the current qualifiers, while Queiroz has added nine players to the squad.
The two sides also come into the match with contrasting results from their opening Group C fixtures. The Gambia began their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Somalia, while Ghana suffered a 2-0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké.
The Black Stars will face The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium at 4:00pm on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
By: Prince Martey-Sogar.