Injury-crisis for Ghana ahead of Australia clash

RUSTENBURG - Ghana are facing a crisis ahead of Saturday’s Group D World Cup clash with Australia with both their defenders Isaac Vorsah and John Mensah doubtful because of injuries.

Vorsah has not trained for several days because of a muscular problem, while Mensah pulled up during Friday afternoon’s training session.

The Ghana captain has been plagued by calf injuries, and managed just 14 starts for Sunderland last season.

“Vorsah has not been training,” coach Milovan Rajevac said. “We will see tomorrow (Saturday) if he can play but I think not.

“We will see with Mensah. We have other players who can replace them.”

Right-back John Pantsil could move into the centre with Samuel Inkoom taking his place at right-back, or Lee Addy could come in at centre-back in a straight swap.

Both Inkoom and Addy excelled at the African Cup of Nations in January in which Ghana reached the final.

Rajevac is keen to ward off the threat of complacency against an Australia side that lost its opening game 4-0.

“Over the past few days we’ve been working on that,” he said. “We didn’t want the players to be too self confident; they have to be concentrated.

“Everything happens on the pitch and the players have to be conscious of that. It’s only by making efforts on the pitch that we will win the game.”

As he pointed out, other results in recent days give Ghana every reason to be cautious.

“Spain lost, Germany lost,” he said. “Before the Serbia game we were at 32 and Serbia 16 in the FIFA rankings, so there are no rules.”

That defeat for Germany to Serbia Friday means Ghana cannot book their place in the knockout phase whatever happens against Australia, but four points from their next two games will carry them into the last 16.