Ghana is likely to do battle first against Austria and then almighty Brazil in the spate of four days minus her trusted midfield mowing force of skipper Stephen Appiah and Chelsea utility player, Michael Essien. Joy Sports reported on Monday the duo may not be able to play in the two international friendly matches lined up for the Black Stars owing to injuries. The senior national team is scheduled to play Austria on the 23rd of March and Brazil four days later. But Joy FM's Elloeny Amande says snippets of information from the corridors of the Ghana Football Association suggest the two players are likely to miss both games. Appiah limped off with an injury over the weekend as he did battle for Fenerbache in a league game and though there is no official confirmation of his unavailability, it is feared he might need a couple of weeks to recover. For Essien who has missed three games since picking an injury two weekends ago in a game against Tottenham Hotspur, which has also raised doubts about his fitness, he has not been completely ruled out but is largely a doubt to make it. There was a lot of emphasis on the absence of Essien in the Black Stars line up when Ghana last played Brazil and lost by a 3:0 margin at the June 2006 World Cup. Essien was disqualified from playing in that match from accummulated card offences. Minus Appiah again, it would seem a too difficult a task for the Stars whose midfield cohesion will now hang on the strengths of Laryea Kingson, Eric Addo, Sulley Muntari and a couple others who though capable materials, will limit the team’s options greatly.