Ghana aware of Blue Sharks threat

Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah is anticipating a difficult quarter-final meeting against Cape Verde after the debutants qualified for the last eight.

Kwesi Appiah's men take on the Blue Sharks on Saturday, with a place in the semi-final of 2013 Africa Cup of Nations up for grabs.

However, the pre-match focus has been on the fairytale run of the West African islanders who advanced along with hosts South Africa and ahead of Angola and Morocco from Group A.

Appiah said: “They will play without any pressure and they are a very physical side, meaning we have to prepare ourselves very well to match them.

“I respect them and we cannot afford to underrate them because any team who qualified for this tournament are good and cannot be underrated.”

The two sides last met in a friendly in November 2012, when a goal from Mubarak Wakaso handed Ghana a 1-0 win in Portugal, but Appiah is aware of how much the Blue Sharks have developed.

“We played Cape Verde in a friendly game in Portugal and even though we won 1-0, it was a friendly game. For me, I keep saying that it does not matter if you win 10-0 or lose 10-0.

“I don't rely on friendly games because in the real game, it could be different. It's not going to be easy but we will give our best and looking at how physical they are, we will also show them the stuff we are made of.”

The Blue Sharks overcame mighty Cameroon to reach the finals of the Nations Cup, where they have again impressed.

“And looking at how they've performed so far, they are very good side. Tactically disciplined and it's not going to be easy but we will do our best,” the Ghana coach said.