Elmina Sharks vs Aduana Stars – Ndoum Stadium, Elmina

League champions Aduana Stars will begin the defence of their title away at Elmina Sharks. The Ogya boys are kicking off their league season a week late, following their involvement in the CAF Champions League last weekend. That journey ended miserably as they were bundled out following a 4-0 thrashing by Algerian side ES Setif, and a 4-1 loss on aggregate.

The consolation though is that Aduana have a chance to play for a place in the group phase of the Confederation Cup, CAF’s second-tier club competition. They have been drawn against Madagascan side Fosa Juniors and they will be hoping a good run in the league will help galvanize morale ahead of the first leg.

But against Yaw Acheampong’s Elmina Sharks, Aduana are coming up against a difficult opposition with the stubbornness of a hard nut. The Sharks lost narrowly to Dreams FC last weekend, conceding an injury-time goal from Zuberu Sharani.

Liberty Professionals vs WAFA – Carl Reindolf Park, Dansoman

At Dansoman, Liberty Professionals, another team yet to play a game this season following the postponement of their Matchday 1 encounter against Aduana Stars, welcome WAFA to the Alhaji Sly Tetteh Park.

The scientific soccer lads only just survived relegation on the final day of last season, and have hired a new coach, Reginald Asante Boateng, to replace former Kotoko gaffer, Michael Osei. Asante Boateng’s first task is to secure victory against bad travelers WAFA. The academy boys have never beaten Liberty away from home. In fact, WAFA have just 5 victories from their last 44 away games in the Ghana Premier League.

Berekum Chelsea vs Dreams FC – Golden City Park, Berekum

Berekum Chelsea welcome Dreams FC to the Berekum Golden City Park with the aim of returning to winning ways following their opening day defeat to Ebusua Dwarfs. These two have been involved in some high-scoring games in the past. In the only two previous meetings between the pair, 7 goals have been produced. Dreams beat Chelsea 4-0 in the first round before the blues returned the favor in the second round, beating Dreams 3-0.

Dreams FC on the other hand, are coming off a confidence-boosting victory at home to Elmina Sharks on Match Day 1.

Wa All Stars vs Ebusua Dwarfs – Malik Jabir Stadium, Wa

Up in Wa, All Stars will host Ebusua Dwarfs looking for a positive result that will kick-start their campaign. The Northern Blues have lost as many as 13 players going into the season with a completely new look team full of youngsters. Their inexperience showed as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to AshantiGold despite dominating large spells of the game.

But goalkeeper, Rashid Seidu, seen as perhaps the most underrated goalkeeper in the league, is one person the other players can always look to for inspiration.

Bechem United vs Medeama – Nana Gyeabour Park, Bechem

Elsewhere, Bechem United host Medeama looking to put their opening day disaster behind them; and there’s a battle of the newcomers in Ainyinase when Karela United welcome Techiman XI wonders. Karela lost narrowly to Medeama on opening day despite dominating the game.

Asante Kotoko vs Inter Allies – Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi

In Kumasi, Asante Kotoko play host to high-flying Inter Allies in what many pundits believe is the tie of the round. The Porcupine Warriors are coming off the back of a rare point at WAFA while Kenichi Yatsuhashi’s Allies were the biggest winners on Match Day one. In 8 previous meetings between the two clubs, Kotoko edge it with 3 victories against Inter Allies’ 2. But Allies have a reason to be confident, knowing they have beaten Kotoko before in their own backyard with a 1-0 victory at the Baba Yara Stadium back in 2014.

Hearts of Oak vs Ashantigold – Cape Coast Stadium, Cape Coast

In Cape Coast, where Hearts of Oak have pitched camp as their home ground for this season following the closure of the Accra Sports Stadium for renovation works, they welcome AshantiGold to the Cape Coast stadium on Saturday for their first home game.

The Phobians have had a turbulent pre-season. They fired their coach and lost a lot of key players. But once the season got underway, new signings such as Joseph Esso showed signs of promise of good times ahead. Henry Wellington’s side gave away a 1-0 lead to draw 1-1 with new boys Eleven Wonders.

But against AshantiGold, who themselves have struggled since last season, the Phobians will be expecting to win.

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By: Citi Sports

The post GHPL Preview: Aduana begin title defence at Elmina; Hearts host AshGold appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

“If we want to be fair to football, this is not the type of weather that a team from West Africa should be made to play in if only we all want to learn the game.

“If one wants to take advantage of this weather, I don’t think it helps the game.

“If they also feel that this is the strategy they will employ to win matches then they will be in trouble one day if they are paired against a team that plays in extremely hot conditions.

“They are not a bad team, but CAF have to look at some of these things,” he whined after their embarrassing 4 – 0 thrashing.

Like a man whose ears had been burnt, I unplugged my earphones with such alarm after listening to the first few minutes of Aduana Stars head coach Yusif Aboubakar’s post-game comments.

Not only was I embarrassed for man, but I was equally disappointed by his lack of grace in defeat.

Even in the absence of an active league and quality preparatory matches I had firmly placed the underdog tag around the necks of the Dormaa based side.

The abysmal record of Ghanaian clubs in continental competitions against North African sides is well documented and only character and tactical astuteness like we have never seen Aduana produce was going to see them through.

However, after succumbing to such a humbling defeat in a game where poor officiating was not a factor, I expected the gaffer to pick up lessons worth sharing with his players.

It is essential that the team sits to dissect the honest reasons for their poor showing to aid them successfully sail through the playoff round of the Caf Confederations Cup in which they will now engage.

First among their shortcomings has been their inability to score more than one goal in many an encounter, be it local or continental.

One can attempt to understand their pain, due to the massive investment that has been made in the short spell in anticipation of bigger things.

Elimination in the second preliminary round represents an improvement on their first round exit in 2010 but of course is little consolation.

ES Setif were overwhelming favourtites going into the second preliminary match against the Ghanaian champions and at home rightly exerted that dominance.

The game is about learning from shortcomings and making the right adjustments and I do honestly hope that when they look at that 4-1 aggregate scoreline against ES Setif in the near future they will be provoked to plug their leaks instead of blaming the elements. I wish them well in the Caf Confederation Cup Playoff draw which comes off on March 21.

Red Legion of Four

Off the pitch he has the temperament of a new born baby, but that all makes way to a business like attitude which is not only relentless in nature but also cold when Mohammed Salah steps unto the pitch.

When he defied the odds to grab his hat-trick, my brain shut down to the possibility that the man would actually go ahead to seek a fourth, but that is exactly what he did.

I am convinced that with more time on the clock he would have scored a fifth and a sixth if the opportunity presented itself.

That beginner’s hunger is absolutely priceless for a player who has already been crowned Africa’s best player.

He now also joins Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen and Luis Suarez as the only Liverpool players in history to net four in a single game.

Didier Drogba’s 29 goal record for an African player in the Premier League is also set to fall with Salah now on 28 goals with 7 matches left to play.

I will waste little time boring you with what the man is capable of doing, but with all the talk over the years on how unforgiving the Premier League is to undersized players the man is presently in hallowed territory.

He remains my prime candidate to win the Premier League player of the year.

Salah’s spotlight will only grow brighter and wider with the World Cup fast approaching.

Placed in the right situation I have no doubts that the Egyptian maestro will have the rest of the world under his spell.

Thunder Struck

From the moment the team was assembled I have read one gloomy write up after the other on the OKC Thunder.

The biggest fear of many remained if Russell Westbrook would finally be able to express his game fully while allowing other stars to thrive around him.

With the Thunder entering their toughest stretch for the season and indeed the toughest stretch for any team in the association, the group have rallied around each other and look every bit the genuine threat I perceived from the start.

That stretch that heavily features teams over the .500 win percentage mark will perhaps be the biggest test Westbrook and his army have faced.

So competitive is the Western Conference that the 3rd seed and 8th seed are only separated by four games.

Missing the Playoffs is a nightmare reality that faces this group, and if all the rumors that have swirled around him all season are true, Paul George will likely be packing his bags.

Occupying the 4th seed slot, OKC can however confidently say that they are playing better as a team.

Westbrook has managed to rope in his teammates while recording triple double number 101 for his career.

His poise for running the right plays down the stretch in big games towards the end of the season bodes well as witnessed in the performance that snapped the 13 game winning streak of the Raptors.

He finally looks like a man who is at the point of putting all his qualities together for a worthy operation.

The slow starts in games remain a problem and the loss of Andre Robertson might give them some unanticipated headaches.

The relationship that exists between coach Billy Donovan and Corey Brewer from their days with the Florida Gators looks like one that will have a huge impact for the Thunder.

Brewer’s defensive versatility and 3 point shooting will be much appreciated.

With 3 All Stars in their fold and a playoff starved Carmelo Anthony in their midst, the rest of the association should take notice that the Thunder are as legit a title contender as your favourite team.

By:Benjamin Nketsia/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post FINAL WHISTLE: Aduana manhandled, Salah untouchable, OKC legit appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The league winners clinched the first trophy of the season thanks to a 62nd-minute strike from Bright Adjei.

Aduana started well and almost scored in the 8th minute but Derrick Sasraku could not finish a set up for him.

Bright Agyei also had a chance but Kotoko goalie, Felix Annan, did well to make a save. Kotoko also had some chances but they were also blunt in front of goal.

However, the winning moment for Aduana Stars came in the second half when Bright Adjei rifled the home from distance.

Kotoko went for the equaliser but they failed to find the net and eventually lost the tie.

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By: Citi Sports

The post Aduana beats Kotoko to lift Super Cup appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

They had to come back from a goal down to win the match and grab the second title in the club’s history.

But beneath the success lies some very interesting statistics that helped them achieve the feat with one game to spare in the league.

15- The number of unbeaten matches Aduana were able to put together at home during the season and they topped the charts for the best home record in the league.

They gave a proper meaning to the idea of home grounds being a fortress. The kept all their guests away from three points whenever they were at the Nana Agyemang Badu Park in Dormaa.

On the odd day when Aduana Stars could not find the net, they managed to shut their doors and windows to their opponents.

That happened only three times at home and it was against Medeama in March, Wa All Stars in April, and Asante Kotoko in June.

10- The number of unbeaten games Aduana Stars got on their travels.

The Ghana Premier League is very ruthless to teams on the road. It is almost certain that anytime you leave your home ground, you will return with very little.

But Aduana Stars got 18 points from their away matches (four wins, 6 draws and 4 losses). Their resilience was on display when they got a 3-3 draw in Accra against Hearts of Oak.

For many pundits, that was the greatest indicator of their intention to win the league title and they duly delivered.

43- The number of goals Aduana Stars scored throughout the season. Goals win matches and winning a good number of them will give you a title and Yusif Abubakar, coach of Aduana, helped the team grab goals.

Their top scorer, Nathaniel Asamoah, got only 7 goals out of the 43 but that shows how rounded they were. Derrick Sasraku, Noah Martey, and the rest of the team contributed adequately to support the title run.

21- The number of goals Aduana Stars let in across the season. Goals win you matches but defences will get you championships, they say.

Aduana must have have studied that maxim because they did not give a lot away.

Only 21 goals went into their net and that was the second-best defensive record in the league. Only WAFA did better with 18 and they will finish second (by virtue of a better head-to-head record against Hearts of Oak even if Hearts win their final match and finish tied with WAFA on 50 points).

It certainly was a great season for Aduana Stars and they can look forward to getting their crown against AshGold on the final day of the season.

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By: Nathan Quao/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post REVEALED: The numbers behind Aduana’s title run appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The match was billed as key to deciding where the Ghana Premier League title could eventually end up but it lacked a lot of action.

However, Derrick Sasraku found the only goal of the match in the 53rd minute to give Aduana 51 points while WAFA remained on 47 points.

Wa All Stars came back from a goal down to beat Hearts of Oak 2-1 in Wa as revenge for their 2-1 loss to the Phobians in the MTN FA Cup semi finals on Sunday.

The Phobians took the lead in the 51st minute via a goal from Ibrahim Samudeen but Wa All Stars came back to win after they scored through a Robin Gnagne own goal and a penalty from David Abagna.

Hearts had Thomas Abbey sent off in the 78th minute.

Berekum Chelsea beat Bechem United 2-0 thanks to strikes from Randolph Nti and Stephen Amankonah.

Tema Youth could not take advantage of home form as they lost 2-0 to Elmina Sharks. Benjamin Tweneboah and Felix Addo scored for Sharks who moved up to 7th on 39 points with Tema Youth 11th on 34 points.

Great Olympics got an impressive 4-2 win over relegated Bolga All Stars at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Kwame Boateng, Maxwell Quaye and Kaplaka Guantohou got the goals for Olympics while Ibrahim Giyasu and Mohammed Naeem scored for All Stars.

Dwarfs were 3-1 winners over Inter Allies in Cape Coast.

Kotoko will take on AshGold while Medeama face Liberty Professionals on Thursday.

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By: Citi Sports

The post GHPL Week 27: Aduana pip WAFA, Hearts fall in Wa appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Rapper, EL’s latest single, Boorle, which literally means ‘you know’ in Ga has started generating controversy on social media since it was released last Saturday.

The post Is EL best rapper in GH? appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.