BY ISSAH OLEGOR
Ghana’s Black Meteors have intensified preparations for their crucial two-legged encounter against Libya as they begin their quest to secure qualification for the 2027 CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations.
Head coach Desmond Ofei and his technical team continued their preparations on Monday, November 9, with another training session at the Al Hilal Sports Complex in Benghazi, as the team fine-tuned its tactics ahead of Wednesday’s first-leg encounter.
The Ghanaian contingent, which has settled into camp in Libya, is focusing on improving team coordination, tactical organisation and overall match readiness as the players prepare for what is expected to be a challenging away fixture.
With qualification ambitions at stake, Ofei will be hoping his players demonstrate discipline, concentration and attacking efficiency against a Libyan side determined to make home advantage count.
The first leg is scheduled for Wednesday, November 11, at the Benghazi International Stadium, where the Black Meteors will attempt to secure a favourable result before the return encounter in Ghana.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. local time in Libya, corresponding to 5:00 p.m. in Ghana.For the Black Meteors, the immediate objective will be to avoid defeat and, if possible, secure an away victory that would place them in a stronger position heading into the decisive second leg.
Libya, however, will be equally determined to take advantage of playing in front of their home supporters. The North African side will be seeking to establish an advantage before travelling to Accra for the return fixture.
The second leg will take place at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday, November 17, where Ghana will look to capitalise on home support to secure progression to the next qualifying round.
The two matches will determine which country advances in the race for a place at the 2027 CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled to be hosted by Egypt.
Ghana entered the second preliminary round after receiving a first-round bye under the three-stage qualification format. The team must now overcome Libya before turning its attention to the next stage of the competition.
Should the Black Meteors progress, they will face either Equatorial Guinea or Niger in the subsequent qualifying round.
The qualification campaign is particularly important for Ghana as the country seeks another opportunity to compete among Africa’s leading under-23 national teams.
Only seven countries will eventually join hosts Egypt for the eight-team continental tournament, making every qualifying encounter crucial for the teams hoping to secure one of the available places.
