"We believe we can cause some upsets ourselves. We have a great group. We are missing some key players through injury but we still have so much talent in the team," Semenyo said.

"It is going to be a tough group and the first target is to get out of that, but we back ourselves against any team, so if we can get into the knockout stages then who knows how far we can go?"

A personal journey from the Championship to Manchester City

Semenyo's rise since the last World Cup has been swift. When Ghana competed in Qatar, he was a Championship player at Bristol City. Shortly after the tournament, he made the step up to the Premier League with Bournemouth for £10 million.

Three impressive seasons on the south coast earned him a high-profile January move to Manchester City, where he contributed to a domestic cup double.

Ghana open their World Cup campaign against Panama in Toronto before that much-anticipated clash with England in Boston.

Reflecting on his personal growth, Semenyo added: "To go to the World Cup as a Championship player was a proud moment personally for me. That was a great time, but this World Cup I feel more prepared as a player and even more focussed to really do my best."