Former Ghana international Frimpong Manso believes the Black Stars should have enough quality to overcome Somalia in their upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, regardless of the players selected for the matches.

Ghana will face Somalia in a double-header later this month in the Matchday 3 and 4 games, with the first leg scheduled for November 12 and the return fixture taking place four days later. Both matches are expected to be played in Ghana.

Speaking in an interview with Sporty FM, Manso urged the interim technical team, led by Black Queens coach Kim Lars Björkegren, to give locally based players an opportunity, insisting that the Ghana Premier League has several players capable of contributing to the national team.

However, the former Asante Kotoko player and coach cautioned against underestimating Somalia, pointing to the growing competitiveness of African football and the progress made by smaller nations.

“The fact that we are promoting the use of local players doesn’t mean that the Somalis don’t know how to play. Football has changed a lot because CAF is allowing many teams to qualify for African tournaments. They are increasing the number,” he said.

Despite acknowledging the improvement of emerging African football nations, Manso remains confident that Ghana should be able to secure victory over Somalia.

“But compared to us, as footballers, we don’t have to struggle to win against [Somalia], although the others are catching up. But for me, I think we should be able to win against Somalia at home, no matter the kind of players we call up,” he added.

Manso cited The Gambia as an example of a country whose investment in youth development has helped it become increasingly competitive on the continent.

Ghana suffered a disappointing 4-2 defeat to The Gambia after surrendering a two-goal advantage in their previous qualifying encounter.

“The rise of Gambia isn’t recent; they started with the youth teams. And if you look at their players at the back who play in Europe, they are not pushovers. Those who played against us, I’m not sure you will find most of them playing for foreign-based clubs,” he said.

The former Bibiani Gold Stars coach also highlighted the changing landscape of African football, noting that even players competing in lower divisions can pose significant challenges to traditionally stronger nations.

He believes Ghana’s chances of beating Somalia will depend largely on selecting committed players who are prepared to give their best for the country.

“For me, my point is that Somalia – yes, they are coming up. But if we bring players that will give off their best, Somalia cannot stand us,” he stressed.

Ghana head into the double-header at the bottom of Group C without a point after suffering consecutive defeats against Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia in their opening two matches.

The four-time African champions are yet to record a victory in the qualifiers and will be under pressure to collect maximum points from both encounters to revive their hopes of reaching the 2027 tournament in East Africa.a