2027 AFCON Qualifiers: Black Stars must not underestimate Somalia - Ibrahim Sannie Daara

Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) Communications Director Ibrahim Sannie Daara has warned the Black Stars against underestimating Somalia ahead of their crucial double-header in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

Ghana will face Somalia in Matchday 3 and 4 of the qualifying campaign, with both fixtures scheduled to take place in Ghana.

The Black Stars will host Somalia at the Essipong Sports Stadium on Thursday, November 12, before the two sides meet again on Monday, November 16.

Ghana are under pressure to secure maximum points after suffering consecutive defeats against Ivory Coast and The Gambia in their opening two matches.

Those results have left the four-time African champions bottom of Group C without a point, making the upcoming fixtures crucial to their hopes of qualifying for the tournament.

Speaking ahead of the encounters, Sannie Daara urged the Black Stars to approach both matches with caution, warning that Somalia have players capable of causing problems.

"Black Stars must not underrate Somalia because they also have players playing in Europe and they could cause us problems if we are not careful," he told Asempa FM.

Despite his warning, Sannie Daara believes Ghana have a valuable opportunity to revive their qualifying campaign, particularly because both matches will be played on home soil.

"These games have offered the team a chance to revive their AFCON qualifiers campaign because there is no away game. All games will be played in Ghana, so the Black Stars must take advantage of that and win both games to secure all six points," he added.

Meanwhile, interim technical team leader Kim Lars Björkegren is expected to announce his squad for the two matches this week.

Sannie Daara has also called on the technical team to select players based on merit, insisting that neither the local nor foreign-based status of a player should influence selection.

"The right players must be called for these games. It does not matter whether the player is a local player or a foreign-based player. If that particular player is good to play for the Black Stars, he should be invited," he said.

Ghana are seeking a return to the AFCON tournament after failing to qualify for the 2025 edition in Morocco.

The 2027 competition will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, with the Black Stars desperate to avoid another absence from Africa's biggest football tournament.