Ghana gear themselves up for the resumption of the joint African Nations Cup and World Cup qualifying assignment with a game at home against Benin.
Milovan Rajevac’s side will open their qualifying campaign on Sunday at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi with the match kicking off at 17:00GMT (5:00PM local time).
With Sudan having held Mali - described as Ghana’s biggest threat to qualifying for the World Cup finals - to a 1-1 draw on Saturday, the Black Stars will be up for tough contest as the chance of going top of Group D remains open.
As expectation heightens ahead of Sunday’s qualifier, Rajevac has reminded the Black Stars of their responsibilities.
“Taking part in the World Cup is priceless. The players are aware of that,” the Ghana coach told www.ghanafa.org.
“Each of them who starts, on the bench, all of them should know that they should have one goal. And that is, Ghana qualifies (for the 2010 World Cup).
“I hope we are going to finish the way we want and expect. The players have to prove themselves. There absent ones will be back but until then, the ones available have a duty. The new players would prove themselves with the regulars.”
Ghana has not lost a competitive World Cup qualifying home game in eight years with the last defeat coming in 2001 to Liberia.
Despite the impressive home record, the Black Stars admit that Benin will be tough customers when both sides line up at the grounds in Kumasi.
As the journey gets started, Rajevac’s men cannot afford to relax and ride on their past successes. The team is aiming for a perfect start but Black Stars midfielder Sulley Muntari demands that Ghana treats all group opponents with utmost respect.
"Mali is a good side with many good players but each one of those teams will present their own unique challenge. For me it is not so simple to say Mali is Ghana's biggest competition."
"I think we must take a game by game approach in this qualifiers but the most fundamental thing is that we make the most of home advantage," he said.
"We have had very good results at the Baba Yara Stadium in the past and while we will not underrate Benin because they have some fine players, as a squad we think we will win this game if we play to our full potential."
Not that Benin will be push-overs Michel Dussuyer, coach of the Squirrels says, his team will rely on the spirit that saw them through the first phase of the 2010 World Cup qualifying.
"When we drawn against Angola no one gave us a chance but we came through that group with full credit and on top," he said. "So for us we are used to this situation."
Benin will also be looking to take a positive result from the meeting with Ghana as they put behind them a bonus row that held back their plans.
"I am not worried about that because the players were staking a claim for is theirs. The most important thing is that they will give their best on the pitch. Ghana may be favourites but we proved in taking out Angola that we can face any side."