Kwesi Appiah has been part of the Africa Cup of Nations since 1982 but at the 2013 finals, he leads Ghana for the first time as head coach.

In the last two tournaments, the former Ghana captain, who was a member of the last Nations Cup winning squad in 1982, served as assistant coach to the Black Stars.

Appiah now carries the hopes of an entire nation as Ghana bids to end a 31-year long wait for a Cup success.

For Appiah, his 'debut' campaign as Ghana coach at the finals starts against DR Congo, who have in their fold a veteran campaigner at the Nations Cup, Claude Le Roy.

The Frenchman is making his seventh appearance at the tournament. He will lead the Leopards after having done the same for Cameroon (1986, 1988), Senegal (1990, 1992), DR Congo previously (2006) and Ghana in 2008.

Le Roy, 64, who won the Nations Cup with Cameroon in 1988 led Ghana to third place in 2008.

But Appiah is not saddling his thoughts about issues bordering on personalities, rather he is focusing on his team's readiness for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

“I believe that it’s going to be very competitive,” Appiah said.

“We’re going to do our best but saying that there’s no way you can underrate any team in this competition.

“We will not underestimate any side and we will do the best that we can,” said Appiah.

Both teams meet on Sunday in Group at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.