The Baba Yara Sports Stadium will today be
the centre of thrilling international football action when
Kumasi Asante Kotoko of Ghana welcomes their Ivorian
counterparts Africa Sports for a friendly international match.
Although a friendly encounter, the game is
expected to attract a number of dignitaries and of course big
football enthusiasts including the Owner and Life Patron of
Kotoko, the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Kickoff is at 2:30pm.
Africa Sports – one of this year’s CAF
Confederation teams are expected to give Kotoko a tough
challenge as their pride and reputation on the continent, just
like that of Kumasi Asante Kotoko will be hugely at stake.
The Ivorian team has a wealth of experience
in matches of this nature and will therefore come very prepared
to give the Porcupine Warriors a good run for their money.
Kotoko undoubtedly will also come into the
match with a stern opposition, and that is what is likely to
make the clash an interesting one.
The political turmoil in Cote d’Ivoire
notwithstanding, Africa Sports has been active and organized.
Asante Kotoko on the other hand has not been
idle though the Glo Premier League is on a six-week break. The
fabulous team has been pitching their strength against some good
opponents to rehearse tactics and game plans all in preparation
for the resumption of the league.
The last two games played by the Porcupines
have seen them failing to score though.
Handlers of the team are however confident
that on Sunday, the team will go all out to give their teeming
fans a lot to cheer about.
Kotoko’s recent two trial matches have first
been at home to the national U-23 side, the Black Meteors who
won 2-0 last Saturday evening. The second game, away to division
one team Tema Youth, ended 0-0.
All the two friendly games have since been
described by Coach Bogdan Korak as worthy exercises and
according to him the matches have been aimed at getting the
fabulous team in the right shape.
The Serbian coach and his assistants might
have been happy with the rehearsal of tactics and the display of
strength by the players but not the teeming supporters who have
been asking for more than the beautiful exhibition of football
skill or strength.
Victory is exactly what supporters of the
club want and in today's match, nothing should deter Coach
Bogdan Korak and his charges from securing a win.
The hard training sessions which has lately
seen the players running 10kilometeres daily appears to have
drained the team off their strength as well as energy and
coupled with the trip down to Accra and later to Tema, the
players need a great deal of rest to be able to replenish any
lost energy before Sunday’s explosive clash.
There were visible signs of fatigue on the
faces of the players and some of them even talked about this
development after Wednesday’s goalless drawn match.
In fact, Coach Bogdan Korak himself made
that observation in his interview with Kotoko Express where he
also disclosed that no significant change would be made to his
team.
“The players are tired but this is not as a
result of they going swimming. They have been running and that’s
good. They will have some rest and continue working hard for the
rest of the matches” said the Serbian.
Centre back Prince Anokye could not be
fielded in Wednesday trial match at Tema because of a heel
injury.
It is also not clear whether the young
defender will be available for the match. Apart from him, all
the players are in good health and that excites Coach Bogdan
Korak who is expected to lessen his experimental work against
the well-experienced Ivorian side.
The
Serbian has in the two previous friendly matches made wholesale
substitutions – sometimes pulling out seven players at a go.
In
today's match, such a move could be detrimental to Kotoko’s
chances. The technical team may well use the match to rehearse
tactics and test players in various positions but any big risk
or gamble with player selection could be dangerous.
