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The Black Meteors boss previews Tuesday's fixture against their West African neighbours at the continental gathering.
 
Ghana coach Ibrahim Tanko admits the difficulty ahead but "trusts" his players to rise to the occasion when they face Cote d'Ivoire in the semi-final of the Africa U23 Cup of Nations in Egypt on Tuesday.

The Black Meteors are set to take on the young Elephants at Cairo International Stadium, with the winners securing tickets to Friday's final as we as the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in Japan.

"Cote d’Ivoire is a difficult team and facing them is not going to be easy especially in a game of this magnitude," Tanko said at the pre-match press conference on Monday.

"I trust my players to win and reach the final, and also grab the ticket for the Olympics.

"All my players are ready."

With one win, one draw and one loss, Ghana finished second in Group A to reach the last four whereas Cote d'Ivoire finished top of Group B with two victories and one defeat.

"We have to be ready to face Ghana," Elephants coach Soualiho Haidara said on his part.

"I studied them well and we are focused and prepared.

"The semifinal is different from the group stage and we have to beware.

"We are missing a couple of key players, but whoever plays can do the job."

Hosts Egypt will face South Africa in the second semi-final match.

The two losing finalists will face off in a third-place play-off showdown to determine who gets the last of Africa's three tickets for the Olympics.