Ghana's win against Serbia in their opening match of the WC came as a refreshing change after South Africa and Cameroon had failed to win their respective opening matches.

Indeed, Ghana deserved to win against the Serbians: a second half penalty from Asamoah Gyan settled the affair between the two sides and with Germany thrashing Australia 4-0 in their other first round match, Milovan Rajevac's side are now in a great position to qualify for the second round of the World Cup.

Up next for Ghana are AFC side Australia, who have gone downhill since their World Cup appearance four years ago. The Black Stars have the momentum and with the crowd behind them, they will certainly be hopeful of another win in the group, thereby qualifying for the last 16.

Pitted against Serbia, Ghana and Germany, Australia may have thought that they should aspire for the second spot in the group. However, the 4-0 hammering by Germany in their opening match of the World Cup must have provided a huge dent to their chances of qualifying.

Australia were pathetic in that game as they hardly did anything of note. Tim Cahill was sent off too and that made matters worse. Though the Socceroos did create some chances of their own, they failed at the back and in the midfield.

Anything other than a win against Ghana on Saturday is going to virtually put an end to Australia's hopes of second round qualification. The Black Stars will have support from the home fans as they are an African nation, and having won their opening game of the tournament they will be high on confidence.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)

The Ghanaian international striker slotted home the penalty against Serbia to garner maximum points for his side and was instantly hailed as a national hero. Gyan was a menace for the Serbian defence as he ran them ragged throughout the 90 minutes. The 24-year-old will be looking to do the same to Australia, who conceded four goals against Germany in their match.

Mark Schwarzer (Australia)

The Fulham custodian had a mixed time against Germany as he was at fault for the second goal but couldn't do anything with the others. Schwarzer is a very experienced goalkeeper and his experience in the Premier League will be crucial for the Australians. Ghana showed against Serbia that they are not afraid to attack and for this reason Schwarzer will have to be on top of his game.

PREDICTION

Ghana have the momentum and it is very likely that they will win. However, the Castrol World Cup match predictor suggests that Australia are the favourites with a 41% winning chance. Ghana have just 28% and a draw is put at 31%. It does promise to be a closely contested match as the AFC side will be bracing themselves to forget the bad memories from the Germany game, but an African win is on the cards.

Ghana 2-1 Australia