Milovan Rajevac has confirmed his concern over Ghana's on-going injury woes ahead of the start of the 2010 African Nations Cup in Angola.

Some players face a race against time to be fit for the Black Stars' opening game at the CAN against Togo on January 11 in Cabinda.

Key squad members like captain Stephen Appiah and John Mensah are yet to recover from various degrees of injuries.

Ghana's concerns appear to have been heightened after Michael Essien limped off clutching his hamstring in Chelsea's Champions League game against APOEL Nicosia, Tuesday night.

The Serbian would be checking on the results of Essien’s hamstring injury which will have to be assessed further.

“Several other players face a race against time to be fit but we are still hoping to hit top form at the right time,” said Milovan Rajevac.

But Rajevac plans to draft in some members of the Ghana team who won October’s Under-20 World Cup in Egypt for next month’s African Nations Cup in Angola.

“It will be a blend of youth and experience, comprising players who have been the national team’s backbone over the years and those who shone in Ghana’s under-20 World Cup triumph."

Ghana have been drawn in Group B of the Nations Cup together with Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo for the 32-fixture tournament which begins 10 January 2010.