Nigeria have been paired against Ghana in the World Cup 2022 play-off draw held on Saturday.
The Black Stars must negotiate their way past the three-time African champions if they are to qualify for the global football showpiece.
The play-off game against Nigeria is the perfect opportunity for Ghana to recover the lost self-esteem after their disappointing performances in Cameroon with the four-time AFCON winners enduring a humbling first round exit. The Black Stars too will have a new man on the bench following the dismissal of Serbian Milovan Rajevac.
What a baptism of fire for new Super Eagles coach José Peseiro with the Portuguese set to take the reins upon the conclusion of AFCON. The 61-year-old will have some experience of big derby games having coached the likes of FC Porto and Sporting CP in his native Portugal.
Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will come face to face in a decisive World Cup qualifier as Egypt were drawn with Senegal in the final two-legged playoff.
Although Egypt had the upper hand when they met in the 2002 qualifiers, drawing 0-0 on the road and winning 1-0 at home, it was Senegal who eventually won the group before famously going on to reach the quarter finals at the South Korea and Japan finals.
Their most recent meetings saw Senegal beat Egypt home and away in the 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Both Salah and Mane, Liverpool’s standout performers, will be looking to lift their respective teams to the World Cup finals for a second straight time.
In other high-profile games, Cameroon take on Algeria, Ghana play Nigeria and Tunisia face Mali. Morocco were given an easier test against DR Congo, who are managed by ex-Egypt coach Hector Cuper.
The draw for the 2022 World Cup is expected to take place in Doha in April with the exact date still to be confirmed.
