As Ghana host Mali in another round of World Cup 2010 qualifiers on the African continent next Sunday, the two top African midfielders at the moment in the FTBL ranking, Chelsea’s Michael Essien (pictured) and Barcelona’s Seydou Keita, would have met on the same pitch, but with Keita now uncertain due to injury, the Chelsea man has a perfect opportunity to close the gap with his immediate rival.

Keita is currently the best African midfielder on the FTBL chart with a score of 122.36 points, while Essien is #2 with 114.91 points.

Despite the gap of just 7 rating points between the two, Essien will still find it difficult to rise to the top: he will face a high plank of 18 rating points to beat, which means he will need to score at least two goals (and Ghana to win) to earn enough points to close that gap.