Sellas Tetteh is confident of surviving the group stage without a loss when the next African Youth Championship starts next year. The African Youth Championship draw was done on Friday, and the pairings looks pretty good for the Ghanaian side, says Sellas Tetteh.

Pitted against Mali, Cameroon and host nation, Rwanda in Group A, Ghana would kick off the 16th edition of the two week long tournament against Cameroon at the Stade National in Kigali on January 18, the opening day. Overall, the Sellas Tetteh sounds happy with Ghana’s group, and should be hoping to progress to the knockout stages.

“It’s a fairly tough group but one that we can qualify from,” he stated when asked the chances of the Black Satellites the remaining group contenders.

“The competition for qualifying places would be a tough one. We need to get off to a good start in the opening match. It’s always important to win your first game which builds your confidence.

“Our opponents (Cameroon) are a tough side. Not only do we have a tough opposition in them (Cameroon) but the other group members are always tough.”

Ghana’s next group game would be against Mali, two days after the opening match before rounding up with a clash against hosts, Rwanda on January 24.

“Mali are good in the youth competitions. And we have Rwanda, who are hosts, so they would have the support behind them.

“It’s a tricky group but we are very confident of reaching the next round.”

Eight countries were drawn into two groups of four each for the 16th edition of the two week long tournament when the draws were made in Kigali. The two-week tournament to be hosted by Rwanda begins January 18-February 1.

Group B looks equally tough as Nigeria will face Egypt, Ivory Coast and South Africa.

Ghana has already started preparations for the tournament taking part in the sub-regional football tournament, the Wafu Cup. And Sellas Tetteh, who is parading an entirely local side hopes the team would improve before the foreign-based players join in.

Sellas Tetteh is welcoming the selection headache he expects to be presented when the foreign-based players join later this month.

“We have an entirely local side for now. But I expect them to raise the bar before the foreign-based players join,” said the Black Satellites coach.

“Every player would have to justify his place in the squad and that is a good situation I hope to have. At the end of the day, only the best would be called up to represent the nation at the Championship.”

The Caf African Youth Championship is a major international football competition for Caf nations, played by less than 20 years old players and it is held every two years with the four semi-finalists from the tournament in Rwanda qualifying for the Fifa World Youth Championship to be played in Egypt.

If hosts Egypt reach the last four in Rwanda then the 5th place team will qualify for the Under-20 World Cup.