Rajevac issues Ayew fitness update ahead of Black Stars-Gabon meeting

Andre Ayew will be fit to start for Ghana against Gabon on Friday despite not being 100 percent ahead of their opening fixture against Morocco, according to head coach Milovan Rajevac.

The Black Stars skipper told GOAL after the match — a 1-0 defeat following Sofiane Boufal’s late winner — that he hadn’t been 100 percent heading into the fixture, and following a head injury sustained by the captain during the bout, there were concerns that he wouldn’t be in contention to feature against the Panthers.

However, Rajevac has confirmed that the experienced Ayew will be available for the Group C showdown at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo on Friday.

“[Ayew] will definitely be ready,” Rajevac told GOAL. “He suffered a knock, he was hurt and needed stitches, but he’s feeling ok.

“In terms of the starting XI, I never talk about it before the match so let’s wait and see,” he added. “Everyone knows they are in contention [to play], and while it's important to start the match property, it’s even more important to finish the match as we want.

"All the boys are ready and they will find out at the match meeting who will start the match.”

The Black Stars find themselves under some pressure heading into the match, having lost their opener against Morocco.

The Atlas lions face the Comoros in Yaounde on Friday, while Ghana meet a Gabon side who defeated the debutants 1-0 in their opener following Aaron Boupendza’s fine strike.

“There is always pressure, but coaches are used to living and working with pressure because every next match is important,” Rajevac continued. “We still have two matches to play in our group, and we’re thinking about the next one - Gabon.

“This is the most important for us at the moment, and we’re trying to channel this pressure into a positive performance.”

The Serbian coach will surely be hoping for more from his skipper, whose lacklustre showing against Morocco was at the heart of an underwhelming opening outing for the Black Stars.

Speaking to GOAL in the aftermath of that loss, he revealed that his desire to feature at the Nations Cup once again had pushed him to play through the pain barrier.

“I’ve been sick for a few days, but I thank God that I managed to be on the pitch with the boys,” Ayew told GOAL earlier in the week. “I wanted to be on the field even though I was not fully ready, but I’m feeling better now.

“I’ve not been feeling good for two or three days,” he revealed, “but I wanted to be on the pitch, even though I knew I wasn’t 100 percent.

“You need to give everything,” he concluded, “this Afcon has been anticipated for three years and I’ve been waiting since.”

Ghana and Comoros meet in their final Group C fixture, while Morocco face Gabon in Yaounde on Tuesday.