BONY, KALOU MISS KEY TIES

INJURED strikers Wilfried Bony, Salomon Kalou and Thomas Toure have all been ruled out of the Ivory Coast’s World Cup qualifier doubleheader against Liberia on Friday and Tuesday.

Coach Michel Dussuyer has called up Roger Assale as backup with defender Arthur Boka also returning for the African champions.

However, Yaya Toure does not feature once again amid suggestions he may be ready to retire from international football to focus on club side, Manchester City.

Goalkeeper Ali Badra Sangare and midfielder Serge Yao N ’ Guessan, who both play in the Ivorian league, have also been called up.

“Liberia are a respectable rival who beat Tunisia in qualifying for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, ” said Frenchman Dussuyer. “We have to expect a difficult clash.”

The Elephants and Ghana launch campaigns for their fourth consecutive World Cup appearances with away fixtures this week against much lowerranked opponents Liberia and Comoros respectively.

It is a feat only Cameroon have achieved among the 54 African football nations, qualifying for the 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002 tournaments before a saved penalty cost them a 2006 place.

Ivory Coast travel to Liberia, who are 64 places below them in the global rankings. Ghana visit the Comoros, an island state off the southeast coast of Africa and 147 rungs lower than their opponents on the Fifa list.

Seeding means many of the 20 second-round qualifiers, to be played on a home and away basis between today and next Tuesday, appear lopsided.

Algeria are 109 places above Tanzania, Cape Verde 93 rungs higher than Kenya, and Egypt and Senegal 79 places each above Chad and Madagascar respectively.

However, a glimmer of hope for lower-ranked nations is that they enjoy home advantage first, offering a chance to build a lead in ties to be decided by goal aggregate.

Ghana will be without a star midfielder as injury rules out Kwadwo Asamoah from 2015 Uefa Champions League runners-up Juventus.

But two vital Black Stars components – midfielder Andre Ayew and striker Asamoah Gyan – are back after missing a friendly draw with Canada in Washington.

Gyan was chosen by coach Avram Grant after a two-month battle with a knee injury. –