John Mensah has given Ghanaians a confidence boost ahead of Sunday’s 2010 African Nations Cup and World Cup qualifier when he said last night that the Black Stars would claim victory over Libya.

Ghana plays Libya in the opening match of the qualifying campaign at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.

And the defender, who would lead Ghana in the first qualifier, says the Black Stars are “really focused” on the game against the North African side as he counts down to the opening game.

The Black Stars captain began by saying that the team was looking forward to playing in the qualifiers tomorrow, but stressed that the opposition is a stronger one and must be treated as such.

“It’s always a great feeling when you have the chance to represent your country. And especially in such a qualifier, which every player dreams of being part of.

“We are very confident in our chances and are also really focused on the game against them (Libya),” the Ghana player told www.ghanafa.org.

“Everyone hopes we pull a win and for me, that is the most important result we are going for. The scoreline might not be necessary here.

“People would have all sort of opinions about the Libyans, I know. Because they were not at the African Nations Cup and are ranked far below us (Ghana), people would tend to think we would have to record a high scoring result.

“No, I don’t think so. They would be strong and playing against us, they would try to make an impression.

“We have to stay focused throughout the game and make sure we do a good job.”

Ghana would be attempting to start off on a good note and then make a second successive World Cup appearance after having made their debut at the 2006 tournament in Germany.

And this is a view John Mensah shares but cautions against the oppositions the Black Stars would have to contend with.

“I have a good feeling about our campaign but we cannot underestimate any team,” John Mensah concluded.