Ellis says they have done their analysis on the opponents and are now ready for the match.
Coach Desiree Ellis says Banyana Banyana are ready for their opening match against Ghana in the 2024 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The game between the African champions and the Black Queens is set to take place at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda, Morocco this evening (kick-off is at 6pm SA Time).
Speaking ahead of this clash, Ellis said they have done their analysis on the opponents and are now ready for the match.
“We’ve done a lot of analysis, and I’m sure they’ve also done analysis on us too, if you’re not ready now then we have a problem,” said Ellis as quoted by SAFA media.
“We came to Morocco early to prepare, and we are now ready for the game, it’s just about using the plans tomorrow, it’s about making sure that if the one plan doesn’t work, we have another plan and another plan and another plan…. We just need to put our game plan in place and make sure that we get the result we want,” she added.
Banyana co-captain Refiloe Jane is expecting a tough match against the Black Queens.
“Obviously this is the opening game of the tournament for us, it’s going to be a very difficult one. They are a completely different team, but we are prepared for them and we’re hoping that we can perform better as a team,” said Jane.
Ghana are ‘underdogs’
New Ghana coach Kim Lars Björkegren believes they are the underdogs in this clash against Banyana.
“I have coached in many countries and growing up I used to watch the men’s AFCON. I am so happy to be here and looking forward to tomorrow’s match against South Africa. People always ask me a question about pressure and if I’m nervous and those kinds of things, for me it’s very clear if you are a coach at this level, you may be a little bit nervous, but you have to control what you can control,” Björkegren said.
