On Friday morning, the Black Stars leave for what could be their final step towards booking a place in Gabon.

But they will do so without Juventus star Kwadwo Asamoah.

Ghana coach Avram Grant has explained why he chose to leave the winger out for this weekend's trip to Mauritius for the side's penultimate 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game.

The talented attacking midfielder has been plagued by injuries since late 2014 and has only managed a handful of games since for his club, while he has not played for Ghana in almost two years.

The 27-year-old enjoyed decent patches of playing time towards the end of the last season, but looked apparently far from fighting fitness. Grant says he wants the player given more time to heal.

"Well Kwadwo is not 100 per cent fit and he did not play in the last two games for his club," Grant said.

"He hasn\'t played a lot football in the last year and half and we can only hope next season is better for him."

He added: "He is a quality player and I hope he will get a good run of games next season. But this time around we cautiously left him out."

Ghana lead Group H on ten points, four more than Rwanda and Mauritius, and a win would see them book a ticket to the finals this Sunday. A draw or a loss would mean the Black Stars may have to beat Rwanda at home in September to clinch the ticket.

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