Captain Jordan Ayew has emphasised the significance of the two international friendlies against Austria and Germany.

The Black Stars will face Austria in Vienna on Friday before traveling to Stuttgart to play Germany on Monday. As preparations intensify in Vienna, Ayew stressed the team’s determination to deliver strong performances, signalling their commitment to making a statement on the global stage.

On late withdrawals of players

We want to play for our country; we want to do well from our country. So, every game is important. Even though we know these two games are important, even previously the other games were important as well. Just that sometimes it is what it is, you know. Coming to these two games, listen, tomorrow is going to be a tough game, Monday will be a tough game as well. So, we will do our best.

On preparation so far

I think we are preparing well tactically, technically, physically. We really look good. So, let’s see what happens tomorrow. I don’t want to talk too much because obviously we’ve had a couple of days of training and what I’ve seen is positive. So, we’re ready for tomorrow and we’ll see if we can get a positive result because we want to get a positive result. Monday will be a tough game.

On putting in a good performance

We are going to try to put in our best performance. Obviously, I think we are not here for holidays. We are here to work hard, to perform and to get good results. You know, it will not be easy, but it will also be the best chance to be successful tomorrow. It’s going to be a tough game, a very tough game, because it’s a high-performance team.

On not coming to Austria for fun

Going into the World Cup, I think it’s not for me alone but it’s a positive thing for us. As players, we are really looking forward to it, so let’s see how it goes. We have the ambition to come and get good results tomorrow. We are not coming here just for holidays or just to work. We are here to work hard, to perform and to get good results.

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