By Trevor Kramer in PE
Mali coach Patrice Carteron is expecting Ghana to attack from the first whistle when the two sides meet in their Africa Cup of Nations Group B clash at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Thursday.
While The Eagles defeated Niger 1-0 in their opening clash, the Black Stars were held to a 2-2 draw by the Democratic Republic of Congo - having thrown away a two-nil lead.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, the Frenchman said: "I know for our game Ghana are under pressure because they lost two points in a game they should have won easily - at 2-0 they lost their concentration.
"Because of their first result Ghana has to play offensively to try to score as soon as possible."
Carteron added that events back home have inspired his players and insists it is Ghana who will be feeling the pressure leading up the match.
French and Malian military have been waging a war against Al Qaeda-linked militias in the north of the country.
A number of insurgent groups have been fighting a campaign against the Malian government for independence for a little over a year, however, the arrival of foreign troops has given real hope that the conflict will be over soon.
And Leading up to the 29th edition of the AFCON, Mali spent five days encamped in the capital Bamako to soak up the new feeling of hope in the country, and the rousing send off the team received from the Malian people has inspired Carteron's squad.
He added: "I wanted them (the players) to feel the atmosphere. All the country is suffering, thousands of people were coming every day to see the players doing the training sessions.
"My players, I don't think they had lived (through) this before. It was fantastic. All the people were happy to see the football players, to see positive things.
"I wanted them to feel something special. To come there and to have much more motivation.
"At the moment, they feel positive because what happened in their country is something nice for them and for their families."
To comment on this story please email me at trevor.kramer@teamtalkmedia.co.za
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