GPL: Hearts vs Kotoko – In-depth Preview

Not dubbed the Super Clash for nothing. The attention, the expectation, the anxiety and the hysteria that characterized games involving the two most successful clubs in the history of Ghana football cannot be over stretched.

Accra Hearts of Oak cross swords with their bitter rivals Kumasi Asante Kotoko in Match day 6 of the Ghana Premier League in Accra on Sunday, 26 January at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The build up to this mammoth game is quite remarkable and clearly shows how significant the fixture is. The FA set the tone by presiding over an extraordinary press conference that involves officials of the two clubs and the media also playing a pivotal role by giving the game all the mileage it deserves.

THE GAME

HEARTS FOCUS:

After losing their first two games to Berekum Chelsea and Medeama which culminated the sacking of Kim Grant (who oversaw the lost to Kotoko in the President Cup), believe has surged through the veins of supporters again following a remarkable turnaround of events.

Hearts grind out a 2-1 victory against Ebusua Dwarfs and somehow managed to earn a vital point at WAFA, a ground where no one gave them a dog’s chance.

But perhaps the win against Liberty Professionals is what seems to have rekindled the fan base as it depicted the ‘Never Say Die’ spirit prominently. Having conceded an early goal, the Phobia Boys had to dig deep, navigate their way through dangerous situations and managed to cruise towards the finishing line by a narrow margin of a 2-1 triumph.

Coach Odoom’s new signings of Emmanuel Nettey and Fredrick Botchway are sublime conductors of the midfield, they give the midfield a perfect balance in terms of grit and offensive support always setting a compelling tempo with exquisite flourish in the two games they’ve featured so far.

Hearts sits 9th on the league table with 7 points, a position they’re definitely not proud of and so the teeming supporters would relish a victory in any shape or form against their arch rivals.

KOTOKO FOCUS:

Having started the season on a bright note, winning their first two games, defeating Eleven Wonders 1-0 and coming from behind to humble Legon Cities by 3-1 in Accra.

Things however went from bad to worse following defeats to Berekum Chelsea and Medeama. And in both games the Porcupine Warriors were reduced to 10 men.

But Maxwell Konadu and his charges are back on track after dispatching Ebusua Dwarfs by 2-0 at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

Justice Blay, Collins Ameyaw and Mudarisu Salifu will consolidate a dynamic midfield, they are workers who are willing to dominate and control possession. This midfield against that of Hearts may determine how the game goes.

Kotoko are 7th on the league log with 9 points, and just 4 points adrift the leaders.

KICKOFF IS 3:00pm

By: Tang Shuaib/@tangdeboy