Ghana coach Avram Grant says his team needs to show great fighting spirit to beat Egypt in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers without the Black Stars' injured key players.

Egypt will host Ghana on 13 November in Alexandria's Borg El-Arab Stadium in the second round of the qualifiers.

"Firstly, I am sure the team is happy. We showed that with the right team spirit, and obviously if we play like a team, we can achieve a positive result," Grant was quoted as saying by Ghanasoccernet.com on Wednesday.

Against Egypt, Ghana will be missing key stars Asamoah Gyan, Kwadwo Asamoah and Alfred Duncan, all out due to injuries, but the 61-year old coach is confident his squad can fill the empty spaces.

"I want the key players but they are not available, and this is why we have a big squad. We need to show great fighting spirit to win without them," the former Chelsea boss explained.

"This is why we need the right mentality. Even though it will be difficult for Ghana, it will be difficult for Egypt too," he added.

Egypt's Good generation

The game between Egypt and Ghana brings memories of the 2014 World Cup qualifier decider in Kumasi three years ago when the Pharaohs lost the playoff in a 6-1 defeat.

"Egypt is a very good team, I think it's a good generation for them. They've built the team over the past 2 years," Grant said via Ghana's FA official twitter account.

"They've kept stability and are doing well. Their key players are also doing well with their respective clubs.

"I don't need to mention names, but they've have 6-7 top players so they're good opponents," the coach concluded.

Egypt has made a good start in the current World Cup qualifiers with an away win against Congo last month, while Ghana were held to a disappointing goalless draw at home by minnows Uganda.

The Pharaohs are leading Group E with three points, two ahead of second-placed Ghana.

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