Ghana will likely need just a point against Uruguay to advance to the knockout stages of the World Cup on Friday, but there are a number of permutations ahead of the final matches in Group H.
THE PERMUTATIONS
Victory for the Black Stars will see them advance to the last 16, potentially as winners of the pool if Portugal suffer a surprise loss to South Korea.
A draw will be enough as long as the Koreans don’t beat Portugal by more than one goal, while a loss to the Uruguayans will put them out.
GHOSTS OF 2010
Luis Suarez’s handball in the dying minutes and Asamoah Gyan’s penalty miss that followed denied Ghana a semifinal place in 2010 and means there will forever be a rivalry between the Black Stars and Uruguay, all built on that moment.
This is a chance for some revenge, even if it is a new generation of players on the Ghana side. There will certainly be many fans who remember the heartache of that moment at FNB Stadium.
GHANA HAVE GOALS IN THEM
Five goals scored in two games show that this Black Stars side can find the back of the net, but the worrying factor for coach Otto Addo will be the fact they have conceded five times too.
No team in the competition has seen as many as 10 goals at either end in their first two matches, and while this makes Ghana very watchable, there is a vulnerability there as well.
The permutations are set and Ghana know what they need to do ??????
URUGUAY CAN’T SCORE
By contrast, Uruguay have not managed to find the back of the net in either of their two matches to date. Only Tunisia were in the same boat before their famous win over France.
They have been below par by their standards, but will certainly have the belief they can turn Ghana over. Many teams have taken until their third game to come good in this tournament, will they be the same?
WHO AWAITS?
Should Ghana finished as runners-up in this pool then they will face the winners in Group G, which are likely to be Brazil. That would be a huge clash.
If they end as group winners in a shock turn of events, they will take on one of Serbia or Switzerland, but more likely the latter.
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