Rajevac keeps eye on group members

Black Stars coach Milovan Rajevac has discovered who Ghana will be facing at the 2010 African Nations Cup in Angola and says Ivory Coast on paper appear the strongest from Group B.

A draw ceremony in the capital, Luanda, divided the 16 qualifiers into four groups from which the winners and runners-up advance to the quarter-finals.

Ghana, to be based in Cabinda in the north of the country were handed a tough draw in an all West-African battle in Group B which includes Burkina Faso and Togo.

“Every group is a tough one. There are no easy groups for this competition,” Black Stars coach Milovan Rajevac told www.ghanafa.org after the draw was made on Friday.

Both Ghana and group seeds, Ivory Coast have qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa but Rajevac is not distracted by strength of Ghana's western neighbours.

“Every side that tried to qualify has quality and can cause an upset. It's too easy to start talking now.

“On paper, Ivory Coast are the favourites from our group and they indeed have a strong team. But there won't be any easy match at the Nations Cup."

For Rajevac, the planning gets into another phase following the revelation of group opponents and the pairings of the next round.

“Our preparations have been on-going. But now, we can really focus on our opponents.

“We would be looking at out group members closely and analyzing. Also, we have to continue monitoring our players and make good preparations.”

Ghana, four-time champions beat Ivory Coast to bronze at the last CAN.