With both teams still hoping to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the USA take on Ghana at the Pratt & Whitney Stadium in Connecticut this weekend, as the two teams renew their rivalry once more. As the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup is just around the corner, US boss Bruce Arena has named an experimental squad for the fixture, with four potential debutants having made the cut. The two teams have both qualified for the past three World Cup’s, with the duo having met each time. Every game has finished in a 2-1 score-line, the most famous of which came when Ghana overcame the US back in 2006, where a controversial penalty helped the African team to victory. With many bookmakers offering odds on this friendly fixture, let’s take a look at the two teams, as well as some of the betting tips.
USA
The US squad for this encounter features 16 players from Major League Soccer, eleven of which already have Gold Cup experience, including Alejandro Bedoya, Omar Gonzales and Joe Corona. Meanwhile, the likes of Christian Roldan and Kelyn Rowe will be hoping to make their first appearance for the national team against Ghana. Meanwhile, having made a nationality switch from Isreal, Kenny Saief is also in line for an appearance, with the midfielder having impressed for Belgian side Gent this year. LA Galaxy forward Gyasi Zardes could also feature for the USA despite his Ghanaian descent. Bruce Arena’s side currently sit third in the standings in their World Cup qualifying, still in a strong position to reach the finals.
Ghana
Ghana head coach James Kwesi Appiah has named a strong 22-man squad for the match, with six of his players having a connection to Major League Soccer. However, despite his age, it is Asamoah Gyan who still carried the largest threat for the away side, with the former English Premier League man having scored the winner against the USA in the 2010 World Cup. Elsewhere, the likes of David Accam, Dax McCarty and Gershon Koffie are all in line for starts, with the former having scored a hat-trick for Chicago Fire recently. Meanwhile, Columbus Crew trio Harrison Afful, Jonathan Mensah and Mohammed Abu could also feature against some of their team mates.
Top Betting Tips
Given the experimental nature of the two teams, betting on the match is not as easy as it first appears. However, given their status as the home team, the emphasis will be on the USA to go for goals against Ghana. Popular bookmakers Ladbrokes offer customers odds of 4/6, while Ghana can be backed to cause a shock at odds of 3/1 at the same platform. However, with the USA having scored 11 goals in their last five matches, conceding just three, our tip is to back them to win and score more than 2.5 in the process, with odds of 11/10 at William Hill.