Head Coach of Ghana’s Male U-20 side, Karim Zito says his side won’t underrate their group opponents at the ongoing WAFU Zone B U-20 Championship.

The Black Satellites have been paired in Group B alongside Nigeria and Ivory Coast with the top 2 teams booking a semi final berth.

The tournament will serve as qualifiers for the 2021 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations with the two finalists getting the available tickets.

Ghana plays the first game of the competition on December 9 in a what is expected to be a tight encounter against Nigeria. The Satellites will then engage Ivory Coast in the last group match.

Speaking after a training session to FMIG, Zito refuted any attempt to downplay the threat both group opponents pose to his side.

He confirmed that his side who have the benefit of sitting out for the first round of matches will use the opportunity to monitor his opponents, and study their game plan.

“Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire are not countries that we will look down upon,” Coach Karim Zito told FMIG. “We are going to watch them play, myself and all the players we will sit an one place and after the match we’ll come together to discuss what we saw, what we feel we should do,” he continued.

“At the end of the day we will watch their weaknesses, and their strategy and where they start their buildup from…both teams [Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire]. I will divide the team into two, some will watch Nigeria and the other will watch Cote D’Ivoire and I will watch both. And then we will put our heads together and strategize for our match against Nigeria,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Nigeria and Ivory Coast played out a 1-1 draw.
The Black Satellites in this case need a win to secure an outright qualification to the semi final stage.