In-form Ghana hitman Abdul Majeed Waris says Malawi will be under pressure to open when they clash next week’s decisive Nations Cup qualifier against Malawi in Lilongwe.
Waris is in top form for club side Hacken in Sweden, his championship topping goals have also pushed his relatively unfancied club into the title race with just 5 games to go in a highly competitive 2012 Allsvenskan in which the top four are separated by 3 points.
Chief among the Ghanaian’s targets is to win the goalking accolade, a feat he is well placed to achieve, his 19 league goals putting him 6 clear of his nearest challenger, incidentally fellow West African, 24 year old Abiola Dauda of Nigeria who plays for Kalmar.
National team rewards have come too, as the striker gained his two debut caps first in an August friendly international against China and last month’s 2-0 loss to Liberia in Monrovia three days after the Black Stars had beaten Malawi in a South Africa 2013 qualifier.
Ghana lead 2-0 going into the decisive return leg next weekend and Waris who is still chasing a first competitive game in national colours, is raring to go.
“Our expectation against Malawi is nothing than to win and qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations again,” Waris said.
“We’ve got a big chance of qualifying, we were the better side in the first leg and they defended throughout.
“I think when we go there, they will open up and we can then play our real game,” Waris told 90 MINUTES exclusively from his Sweden base.