Ghana’s Black Stars will today face the Atlas Lions of Morocco in a match which pundits have dubbed “the clash of the titans”. It is a make or break encounter for both teams. As host, it will be heartbreaking and a dent on the image of the tournament, if the Black Stars should take an early shower in the competition, whilst it will also be a disgrace for the Moroccans to bow out of the competition, as they are considered one of the top notch teams in Africa. At the same time that the Black Stars face the Atlas Lions in Accra, the Syli Nationalle of Guinea take on The Brave Warriors of Namibia at Sekondi in another Group A fixture. It is a strategy to prevent match fixing. The outcomes of Accra and Sekondi will definitely send two of the teams going out of the competition, hence the nervousness, and rather unkind behavior of Ghanaian fans. To be able to stay in the competition, Ghana needs at least a draw with Morocco to earn seven points. The Moroccans on the other hand need to win at all cost to amass six points and of course with more goals. However, a draw with Ghana will give them four points, which will shake their existence because Guinea needs just a win to score six points with more goals to advance to the next level. A win or lose for the Namibia will still send them home. The Black Stars are under pressure to emulate the two previous hosts of the tournament, Egypt in 2006 and Tunisia in 2004 and to win the tournament. But their showing at their earlier two games have left many Ghanaians questioning the reality of the “Host and Win” axiom. In their game against the Namibians, the Black Stars performance received some booing and jeering from the fans, which left the head Coach Claude Leroy surprised and worried. "We are yet to feel that we are playing at home. I am very surprised by the attitude of the supporters because so soon, it looks like everyone has forgotten that we have won twice in two games”, he said. A win in today’s encounter will rekindle the team’s spirit and also break the jinx that has surrounded the Stars defeat in crucial games, especially anytime they need a draw to advance. In Burkina Faso in 1998, when Ghana needed a draw to advance to the quarter finals of the Cup of Nations, Togo beat them by 2-1. In Egypt 2006, Ghana needed a draw to qualify to the quarter-finals, but was beaten 2-1 by Zimbabwe. Statistics of Ghana and Morocco matches also place the Moroccans ahead of the Ghanaians. Both teams have met on eleven occasions since 1961. Ghana has won on only two occasions, with the Moroccans winning on five occasions. Four of the matches have ended in a draw. What makes this encounter an interesting one is that both teams have strong midfields. While Ghana’s midfield will be marshaled by Michael Essien and Sulley Ali Muntari both world top players, the Moroccans would also be parading another group of world players including Kharja Houssine, Mbark Boussoufa and Youssef Mokhtari. In attack, the Moroccans look more potent than the Black Stars. French-born Marouane Chamakh and Youssef Hadji will lead Morocco’s attack, while Asamoah Gyan and Junior Agogo lead the Black Stars front. The performance of the Black Stars seems to be affecting the merchandising of the tournament souvenirs. Traders talked to complained of low patronage because, the Black Stars have failed to win convincingly and therefore there is not much jubilation in town. “People are not attracted that much to what we are selling because they are not happy because the Black Stars did not score many goals. They only look at the wares and pass by quietly”, a trader said. All said and done, Ghanaians expect the Black Stars to make amends this afternoon. Even though the “Host and Win” axiom would be on test, there is confidence that the Black Stars would scrape through. Prominent traditional rulers like Daasebre Professor Emeritus Oti Boateng, Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area have appealed to Ghanaians to urge the Black Stars on to victory and Never say die… See ADM editorial