GHANA advance to the next stage of the joint World/African Cup qualifiers if she can post a win over Lesotho at the Sekondi Stadium at Essipong this afternoon.

The Black Stars are placed third in Group 5, and need to win this game to remain on course for a second straight appearance at the Mundial.

Coach Milovan Rajevac has called up a strong squad for this all important game, with lead marksman in the Dutch elite division Matthew Amoah, making a return to the team after missing the last couple of games.

The Serbian will however be without the injured Michael Essien and the suspended Laryea Kingston who are both influential characters in the Stars midfield.

Rajevac came under some huge criticism after the team lost 0-1 to Libya in their last game, and needs to come out of this game with the right result to win the support of Ghanaians.

He will hope his frontmen find form against the Crocodiles who have lost all their games so far in this group. 

Ghana would need goals to make a strong case for qualification.

Both Gabon and Libya are in strong contention for qualification, and meet in Libraville also today in a cliff-hanger. 

The two will have an eye on Ghana’s game in Sekondi.

Lesotho have nothing to lose in this game, and are not expected to offer any strong opposition to the red-eyed Ghanaians who are hoping to avoid the embarrassment of falling out at the first hurdle.

That would represent an unfortunate story for a team that made an impressive debut at the FIFA World Cup in Germany two years ago.

The entire Ghana FA have moved camp to the Western regional capital in support of the team, and they will hope the local people turn up in their numbers to cheer the team to victory.

The boys will of course need that support as they go into battle this afternoon, knowing all of Ghana will be expecting them to record the win that will take them to the next stage of the 2008 World/Africa Cup qualifiers.

The onus will rest on the shoulders of Captain Stephen Appiah, John Mensah, Sulley Muntari, Junior Agogo, John Pantsil, Richard Kingson and Anthony Annan among others, to roll up their sleeves and deliver.

They have a mission to fulfill as Ghanaians cannot afford to miss out the African Cup of Nations in Angola and the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.