Black Stars 'B' head coach Maxwell Konadu is optimistic his side will be able to win the WAFU Nations Cup after failing to qualify the team for the 2018 African Nations Championship.

“We know that as for Ghana even our West African counterparts respect us a lot, so we also have to live up to expectation,''

''Ghanaians are expecting a lot from us so we will also do our best to impress them”.

“I believe the boys will impress and make us proud.”

Ghana will get their campaign underway with a tricky clash against The Gambia in the first round. 

Ghana's tie with Gambia is one of 8 first round eliminators in the tournament with the winners progressing to the group stages.

The matches have been split into the two zones operational in the WAFU area.

Zone A in Takoradi: Ghana vs The Gambia, Nigeria vs Sierra Leone, Mali vs Mauritania and Guinea vs Guinea-Bissau

Zone B in Cape Coast: Senegal vs Liberia, Burkina Faso vs Niger, Cote d’Ivoire vs Togo and Benin vs Cape Verde.

With 8 teams (which won their first round matches) forming two groups after the first knockout round, the top two teams in each group will advance and the tournament will proceed to the finals.

The tournament will run from September 9 to 24.

The winner of the tournament will take US$ 100,000 in prize money.

The tournament is organised by the West Africa Football Union and it is sponsored by a US sports television company, Fox Sports.