Marseille’s Jordan Ayew and Al Ain striker Asamoah Gyan will spearhead Ghana’s front line for their opening Group G clash against the United States on Monday.
Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah was undecided on whether to use Asamoah as a lone frontman for the 2010 quarter-finalists’ opener against Jurgen Klinsmann’s men at the Estadio das Dunas.
However an Ayew hat-trick in a recent 4-0 friendly win against South Korea effectively gave Appiah little choice ahead of a match which could prove crucial for the qualification chances of both sides in a group which also contains Germany and Portugal.
Klinsmann, whose side have conceded defeat to Ghana in the past two editions, will deploy a 4-4-2 with captain Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore leading their front line.
Teams
Ghana
Adam Kwarasey; Daniel Opare, Jonathan Mensah, John Boye, Christian Atsu, Andre Ayew, Sulley Muntari, Mohammad Rabiu, Kwadwo Asamoah, Jordan Ayew, Asamoah Gyan (capt)
Coach: Kwesi Appiah (GHA)
United States
Tim Howard; Matt Besler, DaMarcus Beasley, Geoff Cameron, Fabian Johnson, Michael Bradley, Alejandro Bedoya, Jermaine Jones, Kyle Beckerman, Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey (capt)
Coach: Jurgen Klinsmann (GER)
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE)