Ethiopia, Ghana in crunch AFCON qualifier

Ethiopia and Ghana will meet for a potentially decisive 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Group F qualifier at Addis Ababa Stadium on Sunday, 18 November 2018, kick-off at 15h00 CAT.

Ghana comes into the clash placed third in the group with three points – four adrift of leaders Kenya and one behind second-placed Ethiopia. Sierra Leone (who also have three points) complete the quartet.

However, the Black Stars have played only two matches – their back-to-back fixtures against Sierra Leone last month were cancelled due to a FIFA suspension imposed on the latter.

The other scheduled Group F match this weekend (Kenya v Sierra Leone) has also been scrapped due to the continuing ban placed on Sierra Leone.

CAF has yet to reveal what course of action they will take in regards to these cancelled games and how it will affect the group, other than a declaration that the affected fixtures will not be rescheduled.

It seems likely that all the games involving the Leone Stars will be scrapped, meaning two out of the trio of Kenya, Ethiopia and Ghana will qualify for the 2019 AFCON in Cameroon.

Should that be the case, a win for Ghana would effectively secure a place in the top two and ensure they appear at the Nations Cup finals for the 22nd time overall and the last seven in succession.

Ethiopia, meanwhile, need to overcome Ghana on home soil and hope fellow East Africans Kenya defeat the Black Stars in the final round of matches in March next year. The Wayla Antelopes are hoping to return to the AFCON for the first time since 2013 and make their 11th appearance overall.

Ethiopia v Ghana – Head-to-Head

In head-to-head stats, Ethiopia and Ghana have clashed in four previous matches, according to FIFA’s statistics database. The Black Stars have claimed three wins compared to one for the Wayla Antelopes.

The teams’ most recent meeting was in the first round of Group F matches back in June 2017, with Ghana claiming a resounding 5-0 win in Kumasi.

Matches played 4
Ethiopia wins 1
Ghana wins 3
Draws 0

Last five results (most recent first)

Ethiopia | L | D | W | D | D
Ghana | L | D | W | D | D