Injury crisis hit Mali squad

Black Stars will face Mali in Group D Having already lost two of his best players, Ghana's World Cup group opponents , Mali have suffered a further headache with the withdrawal of defender Drissa Diakite ahead of this weekend's clash with Sudan.

A knee injury has forced Diakite out of the squad for their Group D World Cup qualifier away against Sudan in Khartoum on Saturday as many home-based players have been named in coach Stephen Keshi's squad.

 
Diakite, from French Ligue 1 club Nice, is the third high profile casualty for the side before the start of the final group phase of the African qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

 
Mali already have to do without captain Mahamadou Diarra, who plays at Real Madrid, and influential midfielder Mohamed Lamine Sissoko of Juventus.

 
Diarra is out for the rest of the season while Sissoko was injured in Serie A earlier this month.

 
A late replacement for Diakite has been named with the inclusion of Mamahadou Mariko from champions Djoliba in Mali's squad.

 
Keshi's concerns were somewhat offset on Sunday when his top striker Frederic Kanoute registered a hat trick in the Spanish league.

 
Three goals against Real Valladolid took Kanoute's season tally in the league to 16.

Squad:
Goalkeepers: Soumbeyla Diakité (Stade Malien), Mahamadou Sidibé (Ethnikos, Greece), Oumar Sissoko (FC Metz, France).

 
Defenders: Bassirou Bamba (Club Olympique Bamako), Adama Coulibaly (AJ Auxerre, France), Souleymane Diamouténé (Roma, Italy), Cédric Kanté (OGC Nice, France), Mahamadou Mariko (Djoliba), Bakary Soumaré (Chicago Fire, USA), Adama Tamboura (Helsingborg, Sweden).

 
Midfielders: Kalifa Cissé (Reading, England), Soumaila Coulibaly (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Souleymane Dembélé (Djoliba), Seydou Keita (Barcelona, Spain), Sidy Yaya Keita (Racing Lens, France), Abdou Traoré (Girondins Bordeaux, France), Bakaye Traoré (Amiens, France), El Hadj Mahamane Traoré (OGC Nice, France).

 
Strikers: Cheick Fanta Mady Diarra (Centre Salif Keita), Frédéric Kanouté (Sévilla, Spain), Mustapha Yattabaré (Clermond Ferrand, France), Modibo Maiga (Le Mans, France), Founéké Sy (Jeanne d'Arc).