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Ghana's coach Ratomiras Dujkovičius warned the Italian national team that his players are not ready to give up victory and are determined to achieve the best result in the upcoming showdown between the two teams on Monday.
"Italians are the favorites for this match. They are strong, but they will have to make a serious effort to beat us," said R. Dujkovičius.
For the Africans, this will be their debut at the World Cup. Later, the Ghanaian team will have to arm themselves against the Czech Republic and the USA.
Although Ghana has been criticized for poor World Cup preparation results, R. Dujkovičius emphasized that his players proved their worth when they beat the 2002 World Cup semifinalist South Korea 3-1 in a friendly match on Saturday.
"My players are capable and confident," said the African coach. "We must be really satisfied to have such a team."
Although R. Dujkovičius has not publicly announced the team lineup for the first championship match, the coach emphasized that he is almost decided on who will take to the field against Italy on Monday.
"I would like to give a chance to all the players, but I am already 95% decided on who will start the match against Italy," he said.
