Ghana captain Mahatma Otoo insists his team can deal with the pressure of successfully defending their African youth title. The Hearts of Oak striker will be looking to become the fourth Ghana captain at the U 20 level to lift the trophy. He reckons the pressure on the side to perform in Johannesburg will be even more intense after the highs the 2009 team reached when they became African champions and world champions in Egypt later. "It's pressure but this team is very focused. The last group did really well but our side did well too in qualifying, scored goals regardless of where we played and that for me is a sign of how well we can cope under pressure," Otoo told KickOffGhana.com. "We have the team and capable of doing what the last team did. If all goes well we could even do better," he added. Ghana open their campaign against Nigeria on Monday and Otoo reckons it will be a difficult game. "Games between Ghana and Nigeria have always been tough. You can't predict. The team is very ready but we are prepared for that so hopefully Nigeria will fall." And while qualification for the 2011 is a major priority, winning the trophy is important for him. "You know Ghanaians will not settle for us not to win the trophy. Given what happened last two years, winning will be everything. Qualification for the world cup is a massive incentive but we have defend Ghana's pride and take the trophy back to Accra." Source: Kickoff.com