Sports
Hearts, Kotoko, Oly, Karela poised for second round action
After close to a month’s break, the Ghana Premier League (GPL) will resume tomorrow with other thrilling fixtures across the venues taking place at the weekend.
Tomorrow’s encounter will see second-placed Accra Great Olympics, led by star player and captain, Gladson Awako, welcome Medeama SC to the Accra stadium, expecting to garner the maximum points
On Sunday, third-placed Hearts of Oak will play host to seventh-placed Aduana Stars at the Accra Sports Stadium in a late kick-off (6pm). The Phobians crashed 2-0 when they last visited Dormaa in December and will be eager to make amends.
The visitors will have a daunting task as they have also augmented their squad but will also miss the services of dependable centre-back Caleb Amankwah, Paul Aidoo, Justice Anane and a few others.
Kotoko will have a stiff contest when they travel to Techiman on Saturday to face Eleven Wonders. It will be the first test for new gaffer Mariano Barreto who is expected to stir the affairs of the club after agreeing a year-and-half deal with the Porcupine Warriors.
With a game at hand against Bechem United, Kotoko will be eager to begin the second round on a good note as new signings Andy Kumi, Solomon Sarfo Taylor and Brazilian import Michael Vinicius will be hoping to make an impact with the club eager to win the ultimate.
Wonders, on the other hand, will miss the services of talisman Salifu Ibrahim who left to join Hearts before the end of the first round. Coach Ignatius Ofosu and his charges might want to defy all odds to silence the visitors at their home ground.
League leaders Karela United will welcome AshantiGold SC to the CAM Park in a cracking affair as the leaders go all out to continue their fine form against the Miners who dropped from title-contending slot to fall in mid-table position. It will be the first test for Ashgold’s new gaffer Romain Folz, who replaced the ailing Milovan Cirkovic.
At the Theatre of Dreams in Dawu, high-flying Dreams will square off with struggling Inter Allies on Sunday.
Allies will be counting on returnee Gockel Ahortor, and Samuel Armah who had a short spell in Albania and returned to grab his first goal for his side in their 1-2 defeat to Aduana Stars on match day 16 in Dormaa.
King Faisal are ready to prove a point when they welcome WAFA SC to the Nana Agyemang Park in Techiman.
Being the busiest in the just-ended transfer market, the ‘Insha Allah’ boys have added close to 10 players ahead of the second round but will also have Kasim Gokyildiz as the new coach after parting ways with Andy Sinason.
Poor performing Liberty Professionals will travel to the Nana Gyebour Park in Bechem to face Bechem United on Sunday.
At the Ndoum Park in Elmina on Sunday, Sharks will welcome tricky Ebusua Dwarfs in a very cagey encounter.
Two struggling sides: Twelfth-placed Berekum Chelsea will square off with 15th-placed Legon Cities at the Golden City Park.
LINUS SIAW NARTEY
A step closer to glory awaits six Ghana Premier League (GPL) club sides and two Division One clubs as they battle for spots at the semi-finals stage of the 2025-26 MTN FA Cup this weekend at the Cape Coast Stadium and the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park in Bechem.
Dreams FC, the 2022-2023 champions, will clash with Heart of Lions in the quarter-finals at the Cape Coast Stadium tomorrow at pm.
Heart of Lions are going through a difficult spell in the league, having lost ground on their title aspirations that started brightly.
Dreams FC thrashed Lions 3-0 in the reverse fixture of the GPL game in January after losing 1-0 in the first round tie, and tomorrow’s game comes in to settle the scores between the two sides this season.
Although struggling, Lions lie two places above Dreams’ 12th position on the league log and will look to take that inspiration into the game.
The day’s other game will see two-time champions Medeama SC battle Access Bank Division One League (DOL) Zone Three side Attram De Visser at the same venue at 7pm.
The GPL leaders Medeama SC are in the chase for a double this season and will chase a win to appease their fans.
After defeating Asante Kotoko 4-2 on penalties in the Round of 16, Aduana FC will seek to account for Access Bank DOL Zone One B campaigners, Techiman Liberty Youth, today.
Aduana FC are in the hunt for a double this season as they are currently third on the GPL table, trailing leaders Medeama SC with five points.
Having been decisive in matches against Nsuatre FC, Victory Club Warriors and Real Tamale United to get this far, the best in the annals of the club’s history, coach Ezekiel Nii Yeboah of Liberty Youth would be out to cause an upset.
At the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park in Bechem tomorrow, another interesting pairing is set to play out as the all-Premier League affair between Nations FC and Berekum Chelsea takes centre stage.
By Raymond Ackumey
The Black Starlets will intensify preparations for the upcoming 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations with a double-header of friendly matches against FC Samartex 1996 at the Nsenkyire Sports Arena, Samraboi.
The national U-17 side will first take on the youth team of Samartex on Saturday at4pm, as the technical team continues to assess player combinations and sharpen match readiness ahead of the continental tournament.
The following day, Sunday, March 15, the Starlets will return to the same venue to face the senior side of Samartex in another crucial preparatory fixture, also scheduled for 4pm.
These matches form part of a series of build-up games designed to test the squad’s depth, tactical discipline and competitive edge as they prepare for the AFCON challenge.
The Starlets have already played several friendly matches during their training programme, including encounters against True Democracy FC, Port City FC, Attram De Visser Academy, Semper Fi FC and Golden Kick FC.
The upcoming double-header is expected to provide another valuable opportunity for the technical team to fine-tune strategies and evaluate players as Ghana’s young talents continue their preparations for the 2026 U-17 AFCON.
