Suarez starts for Uruguay in Ghana rematch

Ghana's World Cup reunion with Uruguay is set to be full of bite, and Luis Suarez was handed a start in the showdown at Al Janoub.

Suarez said on Thursday that he will never apologise for his famous handball on the line in a 2010 quarter-final tie with the Black Stars.

With the scores level at 1-1, Asamoah Gyan hit the resulting spot-kick against the crossbar, and Uruguay went on to win on penalties.

Suarez was sent off for the handball, but it was put to him in the pre-match press conference that many Ghana fans still compare the former Liverpool and Barcelona star to the Devil.

Uruguay coach Diego Alonso had no issues in handing the 35-year-old a starting spot for the crunch Group H match, though. Uruguay need a victory to stand a chance of progressing to the last 16.

"If I was Suárez, I would've done the same thing to save my country." In 2010, Ghana were on the verge of making history before one penalty changed everything...#FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 2, 2022

Ghana, meanwhile, can progress with a draw, though victory would ensure their place in the knockout stage.

Suarez was named at the top of a three-man attack also including Darwin Nunez and Facundo Pellistri. Edinson Cavani was named on the bench.

Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentancur continued in midfield, with Jose Maria Gimenez and Sebastian Coates at the centre of defence, with Barcelona's Ronald Araujo still unavailable due to injury.

Ghana coach Otto Addo made two changes to the side that beat South Korea 3-2, with Baba Rahman and Alidu Seidu coming in for Gideon Mensah and Tariq Lamptey respectively.

Mohammed Kudus has been Ghana's star in Qatar, and started as part of a three-man attacking midfield unit along with captain Andre Ayew and his brother Jordan.