The Super Clash! The forever-classic fixture between the most bitter rivals in Ghana, Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak. A one-of-a-kind fixture that has produced fireworks no longer feels like one. Maybe for this 2023–24 Ghana Premier League season.
Both sides are meant to be fighting for titles each season; however, it has been a downward spiral for these two traditional clubs since last winning league titles, Hearts in 2021 and Kotoko in 2022.
The Porcupine Warriors, despite wanting to solidify their league status for the 2024–25 season, would be playing for pride, beating their rivals from Accra, according to striker Steven Dese Mukwala, which is their main aim on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
Meanwhile, the Rainbow club has been flirting with the drop zone after recording three defeats in their last five games, forcing head coach Aboubakar Ouattara into a tirade following their recent loss to Aduana FC at home.
The stakes are high in this encounter. It is a matter of pride for one and the need to avoid the relegation zone at all costs for the other.
On Sunday, there would be no margin for error for Hearts of Oak at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium if they wanted to beat the drop.
In the first leg, when the Phobians hosted their opponents in Kumasi, fans witnessed comical defending and goalkeeping from the home team, with Abdul Rashid Bashiru in charge as interim head coach.
The first few matches following the appointment of the Ivorian gaffer, Ouattara, had fans dreaming of even a possible shot at the title, but at the moment it all seems like a flash in the pan.
Can Hearts mount a revival with a victory over Kotoko, with four games left until the end of the season? Or will Kotoko compound more misery on their fiercest rival?
Tune in live on StarTimes Adepa CH 247 for the match at 2 p.m.
Source: Ghana/MaxTV/MaxFM/max.com.gh/Michael Mensah Martey
