Kirin Cup: Boost for Ghana as Baba Rahman recovers from illness ahead of Chile clash

Chelsea defender Baba Rahman is set to make his 45th appearance for Ghana after being declared fit for the game against Chile.

Black Stars will face Chile in a third-place playoff at the Panasonic Stadium Suita in the Kirin Cup on Tuesday morning.

The left-back is expected to return to the starting lineup against South Americans after missing Ghana's semi-final match against hosts Japan last Friday.

Rahman was unable to participate in the game due to illness, but he is now fully recovered and set to take over the left-back position.

His return is a boost for coach Otto Addo, who is hoping for a win to at least make up for Ghana's humiliating 4-1 loss to Japan.

The experienced Rahman was missed, and his replacement, Hearts of Oak defender Dennis Korsah, struggled to deal with the Japanese's ferocious attack.

If he plays on Tuesday, it will be his 45th appearance for Ghana since his debut in 2014, making him one of the longest-serving members of the current squad.

Rahman established himself as the team's first-choice left-back, featuring in four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He was instrumental in the team reaching the final and losing to Ivory Coast in 2015.

Rahman's 2017 ended prematurely because he suffered a career-threatening injury. He was on the sidelines for several months.

Rahman was named to both the 2019 and 2021 squads, but he was one of many players who failed to impress as Ghana suffered shock exits in both tournaments.

He is expected to make the Black Stars squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Rahman narrowly missed out on a place in the 2014 World Cup. He was on the preliminary squad, but Kwesi Appiah did not select him to represent Ghana in Brazil.

The 27-year-old spoke about his snub in a 2016 interview, saying he wasn't disappointed.

“On a personal note, no [I wasn't disappointed] because I was with the team for a year and never played so I really had doubts in terms of a call-up for me,” Rahman told Accra-based Citi FM.

After the international break, Rahman will make a crucial decision about his future at Chelsea.

 

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