Accra (Ghana), March 20 (IANS): Ghana will play two international friendly matches against Senegal and Mali in France, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has announced.

The Black Stars will play the Teranga Lions of Senegal in Le Havre March 28 and then take on Mali three days later in Paris, the association said Thursday, reports Xinhua.

The two matches will help head coach Avram Grant to galvanise his squad, the association said. The friendlies will be Ghana's first match after finishing second at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

GFA president Kwesi Nyantakyi said Grant would use the matches in France to observe some players who are excelling for their clubs while keeping the squad in shape for future assignments.

"We are looking forward to augmenting our squad for future tournaments," Nyantakyi said.

"Senegal and Mali are among the top national teams in Africa and playing against them will give us the strong test we need ahead of the qualifiers for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations," he said.

The Black Stars are expected to start camping in France Monday.