Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko will reignite a fierce and long-standing rivalry when they meet on Sunday at the Accra Sports Stadium in a Ghana Premier League matchday 6 encounter.
It’s the first Super Clash of the 2019/20 season and two teams are ready to slug it for the three points at stake and also for the bragging rights.
The two teams have not been good form this season. They have failed to live up to their high standards which has left fans being cautious in making their predictions.
Hearts of Oak have won two, drawn one and lost two after five games in the league. Last weekend’s win against Liberty Professionals was well-deserved but they had to do it the hard way.
They needed to score two late goals courtesy Bernard Arthur and Kofi Kordzi to overcome the stubborn Scientific Soccer Lads in Dansoman.
For Asante Kotoko, they have a better win record compared to their arch-rivals. The Porcupine Warriors have won three games but have also lost two.
It took two late goals by 16-year-old Matthew Cudjoe and Richard Arthur to beat Ebusua Dwarfs 2-0 in Kumasi. A game that was not opened to fans as the club serve a three-match ban for hooliganism.
What have the managers been saying ahead of the match?
Edward Nii Odoom has huge opportunity to secure Hearts of Oak job on a permanent basis with a win on Sunday. He has been working in the capacity of an interim coach since Kim Grant was sacked after the first game.
So far, Odoom has done an okay job and has got the fans believing once again. He appears to be a happy man heading into the match.
”Since the Sogakope match [0-0 against WAFA] things have changed a bit. They have understood what we want and they are playing to what I have told them to do. We are going the same way We are not stepping back,” Odoom told TV3.
“It’’s all about hard work because Hearts of Oak is a big brand and we must also do our things right to get to where everyone wants Hearts of Oak to be.”
“My boys are playing fantastic football and they have understood the concept.”
Kotoko coach Maxwell Konadu believes his side is fired up for the weekend’s clash and want their fans to be confident of a positive outcome.
“Kotoko is always ready for Hearts of Oak encounters,” he told Asempa FM.
“I believe they [Hearts of Oak] are always ready for us. You know matches between these two sides is a high profile game and nobody is going to relax.
“I know they are preparing very well and have one eye on this game.
“It is going to be an interesting game. We have one eye on the game. The El Classico is on so let us wait and see what happens on Sunday,” he added.
Konadu is in the second stint as Kotoko manager after he was reappointed last month. In his first stint, he managed to one win and a draw in two times he faced Hearts.
Head to Head Record:
Since 2006, the two teams have met 23 times in the league. Hearts have had the upper hand with 10 wins while Kotoko have won six(6). Seven (7) have ended in stalemates.
For only matches played in Accra since 2006, Kotoko have won five(5), Hearts have four(4) wins and two(2) have ended in draws.
Key Players to watch:
Hearts of Oak – Emmanuel Nettey: Prior to the start of the season, Hearts fans had one name on their slips, Joseph Esso. The striker had been in great form and they were confident he will be influential. Though he hasn't disappointed, his poster-boy status has been taken over by midfielder Emmanuel Nettey.
Brought in after matchday 3, Nettey has won the hearts of the fans after excelling in the games he has featured in so far. Against, Liberty he was adjudged man-of-match and also rewarded with money by fans. They believe he will be key to unlock the Kotoko defence.
Asante Kotoko – Justice Blay: Calm as you like, the midfielder has made an impressive start to the season and can be crucial to Kotoko achieving their target. He has bagged two man-of-the-match awards.
Prediction: Hearts of Oak 1-1 Asante Kotoko