Asante Kotoko could potentially take another strong step towards their third straight league when they take on King Faisal in the Kumasi Derby in Week 19 of the First Capital Plus Premier League on Wednesday.
The Reds are currently top of the table with 43 points while their rivals Hearts of Oak are 12 points behind and they start as favourites especially after winning their last three games against Dwarfs (2-1 in Kumasi), Medeama (1-0 in Tarkwa) and Amidaus (1-0 in Kumasi).
However, their city rivals are prepared to make the match very difficult for their opponents. They will have forward Sulley Mohammed back from injury lay-off after his return from the African Nations Championships (CHAN) in South Africa.
Their form, though, heading into the match has been very poor with a single win in their last three matches. They beat Hasaacas by a lone goal on Match Day 17 but lost to Bechem United in Week 16 and Inter Allies in Week 18.
AshantiGold will hope for a better outing at home to bottom-placed Inter Allies.
The Miners have found nothing, in terms of results, in their last three encounters against Berekum Chelsea, Bechem United and Hasaacas and they will be eager to strike it rich against Allies. who got a rare win over King Faisal in the last round of matches.
Liberty Professionals will play their first game at the Carl Reindorf Park since its renovation against Hasaacas.
The Dansoman-based club has found the second round very uncomfortable with two losses to Heart of Lions and Bechem United on Match Days 16 and 18 leaving them 13th on 20 points.
Hasacass, on the other hand, go into the game 7 places and six points better than their opponents and they have had 1 win, a draw and a loss in their last three fixtures making them slight favourites for the game.
Kpando Heart of Lions will also hope to steer their campaign back on course when they face Bechem United.
Lions were defeated by Wa All Stars and Berekum Chelsea in Weeks 17 and 18 to leave them 16 points behind Kotoko and with that came their decision to give up the chase for the crown but they have 27 points and are just four behind second-placed Hearts of Oak.
That should motivate them against a Bechem side whose campaign this season has been positively surprising.
They have found three straight wins since the beginning of the round against King Faisal (2-0), AshantiGold (2-1) and Liberty Professionals (1-0) and the momentum could be key heading into the match.
The other fixture on Match day 18 takes place at the Tema Park between Amidaus and New Edubiase.
The home side lost away to Kotoko in their last match while Edubiase were stunned at home by Medeama and they have fallen to 12th place with 21 points.
Premier League: Fixtures
Week 19
| Team 1 | Results | Team 2 | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berekum Chelsea | 0 – 0 | Wa All Stars | 04-Mar-14 | ||
| King Faisal | 0 – 0 | Asante Kotoko | 05-Mar-14 | ||
| Heart of Lions | 0 – 0 | Bechem United | 05-Mar-14 | ||
| Liberty Professionals | 0 – 0 | Hasaacas | 05-Mar-14 | ||
| AshantiGold FC | 0 – 0 | Inter-Allies | 05-Mar-14 | ||
| Amidaus Profs. | 0 – 0 | Edubiase FC | 05-Mar-14 |
By: Nathan Quao/citifmonline.com/Ghana