Preview: Serbia vs. Ghana

While Ghana is certainly not the same team without Michael Essien, the African nation is still favored to clinch the second place in group D behind Germany. The Serbs are potential dark horses that have the quality to beat any given team. If there is to be any hope of progressing to the round of 16, neither team can afford to lose the game, and a draw means that the Africans and the Eastern Europeans must get points out of their respective games against Germany.

The Ghanaians will have to rely heavily on the midfield work of Sulley Muntari and Stephan Appiah if they’re to get a good result tomorrow in Pretoria. Their main concern will be to soak up Serbia’s pressure by closing space as they did in the first half of their friendly against Holland a fortnight ago, and then to release the speedy Matthew Amoah. If Ghana decides to take the game to the Serbs, it could leave itself open to the attacks of Serbia’s speedy wingers.

Much more of a possession team, Serbia will have to set the game’s tempo and funnel much of its offense through the wings. Krasic will be a key player, and he should be helped by Chelsea’s Ivanovic who likes to aid the attack. In fact, given Ghana’s organization, the Serbians will have to push their wing defenders forward to create imbalances. Zigic should enjoy a lot of service in the box, and he has the physique to handle Ghana’s bulky defenders.

If Serbia scores early, the Ghanaians will have to discard their defensive tactics in order to look for a goal. As evidenced against Holland, this is when they’re the most vulnerable as they’re slow to get back. The Serbs know that Ghana will sit back and wait for the right time to counter-attack, thus they must stick to their game plan and not get frustrated with a lack of early production. If the Europeans try to force the game, the Ghanaians could prevail by preying on silly mistakes. Expect Serbia to win this game, though, a little more easily than predicted. The team is more experienced, well organized, and hungry to show the world that it can compete with anyone.