Ghana v Mali: Last chance to impress before Giresse return

Mali face Ghana on Tuesday with their players keen to impress before new coach Alain Giresse officially takes over on Wednesday.

Giresse is set to assume the role vacated by Henryk Kasperczak last month, the Pole parting company with Mali after a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

Elimination from the AFCON came in unfortunate circumstances as the Eagles were knocked out via the drawing of lots after finishing with an identical record to Guinea with three points from as many group games.

Still, that performance was well short of the standards set by side that had finished in third in the previous two AFCON tournaments, and it is Giresse who has been tasked with revitalising the team after being handed the reins for a second time.

Mali lost 4-3 against Gabon in a friendly last Wednesday and will need to improve considerably from a defensive standpoint versus Ghana as they build towards the qualification campaign for the 2017 AFCON competition.

Ghana’s 2015 AFCON experience was considerably more successful than Mali’s, but still ended in heartbreak as the Black Stars lost in the final to the Ivory Coast in a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

Coach Avram Grant is using this round of friendlies, which began with a 2-1 loss to Senegal in Le Havre on Saturday, to experiment before the start of AFCON qualification in June.

Grant described the defeat to Senegal as “satisfactory” but is looking for better at the Stade Sebastien Charlety in Paris.

He said: “We have another game against Mali on Tuesday and I believe we can build on how we played the Senegal game and make things better.”

However, Ghana could be without one of their more experienced players with defender Jonathan Mensah a doubt after missing training on Sunday due to an injury sustained against Senegal.

Captain and record goalscorer Asamoah Gyan was left out of both friendlies due to injury but, with the likes of Andre and Jordan Ayew and Christian Atsu in the squad, Ghana will be expected to have enough quality to claim a morale-boosting victory.