Ghana's head coach Otto Addo has fired a warning shot ahead of the Black Stars' Unity Cup clash with Nigeria, insisting the match is "not really a friendly game" despite its classification as an international friendly.

The West African rivals are set to renew their fierce competition on Wednesday night at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, London, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 pm Nigerian time.

Speaking ahead of the match, Addo emphasized the significance of the fixture beyond its friendly status. "I think everyone knows what it's about, surely, it's a friendly game, but it's not really a friendly game," he stated in comments published on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) website.

"We know what it's about, and we want our people to be proud of us. We want our people to talk from a certain perspective, and surely, it's always about who has the better team. Sometimes margins can decide the outcome of the game," Addo added.

The Super Eagles hold the psychological advantage heading into this encounter, having defeated Ghana 2-1 in their previous friendly match played in Marrakech, Morocco last year. This result appears to have added extra motivation for the Black Stars, who are determined to reverse their fortunes against their longtime rivals.

However, Ghana will be without some key players for the fixture, as Thomas Partey, Mohammed Kudus, and Antoine Semenyo have been excluded from the squad facing Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the Super Eagles have already begun preparations in London, with captain Ahmed Musa expressing delight at his return to the national team setup. The Nigerian side will also be missing several star players, including Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, and Alex Iwobi for the Unity Cup fixtures.

The Unity Cup serves as part of both teams' preparations for upcoming competitive fixtures, but as Addo's comments suggest, national pride and bragging rights between these footballing rivals will be very much at stake when they face off on Wednesday.