Black Stars coach, Otto Addo, says he expects a tough test as his side take on Austria this afternoon at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna.

It is one of the key pre-World Cup friendly matches to assess Ghana's preparedness for the global showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Black Stars enter a decisive phase in their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with less than three months until they kick off against Panama in Toronto, Canada, on June 17.

The coach believes Austria will give his side a good test before they take on Germany in Stuttgart on Monday, but remains confident in his side's ability to hold their own against a tough team managed by experienced coach Ralf Rangnick.

"We know they are good, very physical and play high-intensity football with a lot of runs.

We expect an intensive game as the Austrians are playing against a coach who loves the high-press game," Otto Addo said at the pre-match press conference yesterday about his expectation of today's encounter.

Intensive preparation

The Ghanaians have been in Vienna since last Sunday, preparing for the match, with an initial 26-man squad, now pruned down to 25 following the withdrawals of forwards Inaki Williams and Brandon Thomas-Asante, who have been replaced by Ransford Yeboah Konigsdorffer.

The coach will also be looking at the response of his quartet of debutants, who must quickly integrate into the team and fight for positions in the short time left before the World Cup. 

With the exception of  injured Mohammed Kudus, who is battling against time to be fit, as well as Williams and Thomas-Asante, it is largely believed that most of the players in this squad are almost certain to make the final team, leaving the highly strengthened technical team needing to make quick adjustments to fit the right players into the squad.

The five new additions to Coach, Otto Addo’s technical set-up last month, including Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren, will also be at work with the team for the first time.

With first-choice keeper, Benjamin Asare, as the only home-based player in the squad, which comprises players from top European leagues, the depth of talent at the coach’s disposal cannot be overemphasised.

The fear, however, is that most of these players have not had much playing time together as a team, in addition to the four fresh faces.

New faces

The match is seen as essential for key players to consolidate their positions and for Coach Addo to shape up his team.

Austria play a style similar to Germany's, which is close to that of Ghana’s European World Cup Group L opponents, England and Croatia.

The Austrians are no pushovers, having qualified for their first World Cup appearance since 1998 in dominant fashion by topping European qualifying Group H with six wins, one draw and just one loss in eight matches, ahead of Bosnia & Herzegovina and Romania.

Under former Manchester United interim manager, Rangnick, Austria showed strong proficiency, scoring 23 goals and conceding only five in eight qualifying games, including a record 10-0 victory over San Marino last October.

Some key players for the Austrians include Real Madrid star, David Alaba, well-travelled striker, Marko Arnautovic, and midfielder, Marcel Sabitzer, who are all in the 28-man squad named for the games against Ghana and South Korea next week.

Also in is Tottenham Hotspur defender Kevin Danso, who has Ghanaian roots and Carney Chukwuemeka, who is of Nigerian descent.

Austria will face Jordan, Argentina and Algeria at the World Cup, and Coach Ragnick is not taking the fixture against the Black Stars lightly, stressing the need for both tactical and physical awareness in what he describes as a strategic test to assess his side’s readiness against different footballing styles.

“Ghana is a strong team in terms of play, but they also have a certain physicality, athleticism and dynamism,” Rangnick said.

“This is a great test for us because we need to bring our strengths to the field, both physically, tactically and technically, to win the game,” he said.

But for Ghana’s poster boy, Antoine Semenyo, fresh from lifting his first career trophy with Manchester City last Sunday, the Black Stars need to make a statement of their ambitions in North America in June with a strong performance against Austria and he is rallying his troops to get ready to win the war on the pitch at the Ernst Happel Stadium tonight. “Hopefully, [I’m] expecting a win.

We want to make a statement: we are preparing for the World Cup, so hopefully a win,” the Man City star said.