Appiah concedes that the Black Stars are under pressure
Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has called for patience ahead of Saturday's must-win 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Lesotho.
The 2006 World Cup finalists have to beat the tiny southern African nation in Accra if they are to have any chance of making next year's final round of qualifying.
"This is a do-or-die game but Lesotho have nothing to lose so there will be a lot of pressure on us," Appiah told BBC Sport.
"But we have to deal with this pressure, play our normal game and not be in a rush to score lots of goals - the goals will come by themselves.
"If we rush, I think we will miss a lot of things and I don't want us to go out of this competition because then we won't play a competitive match for at least 18 months.
"I don't want to envisage a future where I'm only playing in Europe and not for my country."
If Ghana win, they are not guaranteed to finish top of the group, but they would be likely to reach the second group phase as one of the best runners-up.
Meanwhile, midfielder Anthony Annan says the Black Stars are in their current predicament with just one round of matches left because they have underestimated their Group 5 rivals.
We know that today every country in Africa is capable of playing good football and Lesotho will be giving everything
Anthony Annan
Libya currently top the group with 12 points, three clear of Gabon who lead Ghana on goal difference while Lesotho are pointless.
"The smaller teams have shown more determination than us and maybe that's why we've lost to Gabon and Libya along the way," Annan told BBC Sport.
"We have to be more serious and do everything possible to win these types of games.
"These countries have seen Ghana do well at the World Cup and African Cup before and so are more motivated when they play us.
"Their players idolise the likes of Michael Essien and want to do well against our famous players like him."
Essien will be absent when the Black Stars take on the Crocodiles after seriously injuring his knee in Ghana's defeat to Libya last month.
Lesotho have yet to pick up their first point in Group 5 and have no chance of progressing past their final fixture in Sekondi on Saturday.
However, Annan believes Lesotho can still have a big say in who qualifies for the next phase.
"We know that today every country in Africa is capable of playing good football and Lesotho will be giving everything," he said.
"We all have to give our maximum efforts if Ghana is to qualify."
Gabon will host Libya in Libreville simultaneously with the away side requiring only a draw to secure top spot.
The 12 group winners and the eight best runners-up qualify for the second group stage, where the five group winners will go on to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa and the top three in each group will qualify for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.
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