Black Stars Line Up Friendlies

Stephen Appiah

The Black Stars have lined up several friendly matches in readiness for the 2010 World Cup which takes place in South Africa in June this year.

The Stars would battle Ukraine and Argentina in friendly matches in London in May to fine-tune the team for the Mundial, the biggest competition in the world.

The team would also meet the Netherlands in Rotterdam on June 1, less than two weeks before they begin their FIFA World Cup campaign against Serbia in Group D, which also includes Australia and Germany.

With the return of most of the senior players who were hit by injury, thus missing the African Cup of Nations, the matches would help Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac to fine-tune the team before emplaning for South Africa.

Skipper Stephen Appiah and his deputy John Mensah, Michael Essien, John Painstil, Laryea Kingston and Sulley Muntari are all expected to return to first team places whilst Portsmouth German born Kevin Prince Boateng and Inter Milan's Mario Balloteli might join the team.

According to fifa.com, coach Rajevac has dismissed claims that he now has a rather surprising selection headache to ponder over the next six months on the way to the World Cup because of the performance put up by the youthful Black Stars.

“The experience we have gained here will be crucial to our preparations for the World Cup,” admitted the Serbian after watching a gaggle of promising youths perform well in Angola.

But, he insists the starlets will have to wait for their time in the sun as first team players return from injury. “The young players are the future, but they cannot play on their own. For instance in the final, Egypt beat us because they had plenty of experience,” he said. By Charles Nixon Yeboah