Madagascar head coach Romuald Rakotondrabe says his team will be playing for the maximum points when they face Ghana on Friday in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The two teams face off in their opening game of the qualifying series at the Baba Yara Stadium hoping to enjoy a good start.

The Black Stars have the upper hand over the Barea having won one and drawn the other in their most recent games during the qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations while the latter's last win over Ghana came in 2015.

However, Rakotondrabe is confident his side will not be a walk in the park for Chris Hughton's men on Friday.

"It's very true that the last time we beat Ghana was in 2015 and that was a friendly. We are going to do everything possible to defeat Ghana on Friday," he told the press.

"We didn't come to Ghana for holidays. We came here to win the game."

Friday's fixture is scheduled for a 16:00 GMT kickoff.