The injury situation in Ghana's squad at the African Cup of Nations shows no signs of abating after defender Ibrahim Ayew joined the ever-growing list of casualties.
The versatile player will thus miss the must-win Group B final game against Burkina Faso on Tuesday. Ayew suffered a knee injury while training on Monday ahead of the clash with their northern neighbours which could determine their fate in the tournament.
His absence is a massive blow to the chances of the Black Stars as they seek to defeat the Stallions to reach the quarter finals. Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac has been handed a new headache with the latest development the same time key player Michael Essien was ruled out of the tournament.
This means the coach will continue to tinker with his squad because of the injuries. Ghana had already been ravaged with injuries before the tournament as key players like Laryea Kingston, John Mensah, John Paintsil and Stephen Appiah missed the trip to Angola because of injuries.
While in camp midfielders Anthony Annan, Hans Sarpei and Essien also suffered injuries which has further decimated the Black Stars. Rajevac is set to field a team whose backbone will be formed by players who won the under-20 World Cup in Egypt last October.
If Ghana win, they will finish second in Group B behind Ivory Coast, who have already qualified, and will play their quarter-final game in Luanda against hosts Angola on Sunday.
If they fail to take all three points, Burkina Faso, who held Ivory Coast 0-0 in their opener, will go through and will take either first or second place of the group depending on their goal difference. The first-placed team in Group B will play their quarter-final in the northern enclave of Cabinda on Sunday against Algeria.
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