Benin vs Ghana: Time, prediction, head-to-head and TV stream

Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah has hailed his squad for a “peaceful” build-up to their group opener against a Benin side desperate to end a winless record at the African football showpiece.

Appiah was in the first of two spells as the Black Stars coach when his players threatened to boycott a match at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil over unpaid bonuses.

The embarrassing stand-off was resolved only when a jet carrying trunks of cash arrived in South America and the players were paid in dollars.

A drama involving ageing forward Asamoah Gyan, who retired last month after being stripped of the captaincy, was resolved when state president Nana Akufo-Addo persuaded him to carry on.

Gyan is part of a squad skippered by Andre Ayew and they face a Benin side who have drawn one match and lost eight in three Cup of Nations appearances, leading to early exits.

Prediction, head-to-head and TV stream

Prediction

Ghana have made the semi-finals in their last six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. But they were under par in the pre-tournament matches, with no wins and scored no goals in two pre-tournament friendly games against Namibia and South Africa. The Black Stars have a win probability of 57% with the draw at 28% and a win for Benin 15%.

Head-to-head

The sides have played each other 14 times. Ghana have won seven, drawn five and lost two. The most recent meeting came in 2009 – and the Black Stars lost 1-0 on that occasion.

Where and what time to watch

Kick off is at 22:00 (SAST) which is 20:00 GMT.

In Africa, SuperSport 4 and 10 will broadcast the match and the opening ceremony.

Elsewhere: Eurosport Player (UK) and beIN Sports Connect (U.S.).

Additional reporting by AFP, TSA Staff and agencies.