Troubled Ghana have received a boost with Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mohammed Kudus available for a must-win Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Somalia on Thursday.
Injuries ruled the 26-year-old out of the 2026 World Cup, and he also missed AFCON losses to the Ivory Coast and the Gambia two months ago.
Veteran captain and striker Jordan Ayew, who plays for English second-tier club Sheffield United, is another returnee as Ghana seek redemption after a dismal start in Group C.
However, the four-time African champions must do without injured Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo when they face opponents 130 places lower in the world rankings.
The loss to the Ivorians in Abidjan was not unexpected, but the 4-2 defeat at home to the Gambians after building a two-goal lead led to Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz resigning.
Matchdays three and four begin on Thursday and conclude on Tuesday. Countries meet each other at home and away, but Ghana will be at "home" twice due to the security situation in Somalia.
Somali preparations at a university stadium in Accra were disrupted when security personnel ordered the squad to move to another location.
While Ghana seek six points in Essipong to get back into contention ahead of the final two matchdays next March, co-leaders Ivory Coast and Gambia also meet twice, in Abidjan and Bakau.
AFP Sport highlights Ghana, Nigeria, Cape Verde and Tunisia -- four teams in trouble after poor starts to qualifying.
GHANA
Swede Kim Lars Bjorkegren, the coach of the Ghana women's national team, has been put in temporary charge of the men's team while the search for a permanent replacement continues.
He had mixed results at the recent women's AFCON in Morocco. They lost to eventual champions Cameroon in the quarter-finals, but are still contenders for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
After losing narrowly in the Gambia, the Ocean Stars of Somalia held three-time African champions Ivory Coast goalless for 88 minutes before conceding twice.
NIGERIA
Having struggled to overcome modest Madagascar at home on matchday one in Group L, lackluster Nigeria crashed to a 3-0 away loss against Guinea-Bissau, a country ranked 124th in the world.
On top of failing to qualify for the last two World Cup tournaments, the humiliating AFCON defeat led to an outcry with former star Segun Odegbami lamenting "a dive to new depths".
Nigeria must face Tanzania -- automatic qualifiers as co-hosts with Kenya and Uganda -- without injured star striker Victor Osimhen, the 2023 African Footballer of the Year.
CAPE VERDE
Football fans at the 2026 World Cup fell in love with the tiny island nation off the west coast of Africa after they held Spain, then took Argentina to extra time in a last-32 tie.
But the Blue Sharks could miss a second successive AFCON after losing away to Mali and at home to Rwanda. They now face fellow Group K strugglers Liberia twice.
Coach Bubista quit after the World Cup to join Moroccan club Renaissance Berkane. Former assistant Humberto Bettencourt took charge and needs two wins to restore hope of qualifying.
TUNISIA
Tunisia were the only one of 10 African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup who failed to get past the first round after three defeats under two coaches.
Sabri Lamouchi was sacked after a heavy loss to Sweden, and fellow French coach Herve Renard was unable to turn the tide and left following defeats by Japan and the Netherlands.
The Carthage Eagles turned to Tunisian Mouin Chaabani, a trophy winner with clubs in CAF competitions. They face Libya in Group H after being held at home by Uganda and Botswana.
