Sports
Dreams to give Kotoko tough time
Dreams FC will be hoping to upset yet another top side when they clash with Kumasi Asante Kotoko in their crunch Week 23 fixture of the Ghana Premier League at the Len Clay Sports Stadium today.
The ‘slayers’ of Hearts of Oak will be beaming with confidence as they go into today’s encounter in their quest to jumble the Porcupine Warriors’ title ambitions.
Kotoko managed to bounce back to winning ways against Legon Cities in their last encounter but could be halted again by a very resolute and disciplined Dreams FC team.
Dreams, currently fifth on the league table, would be pushing for a top four position and a win against second-placed Kotoko will make their dreams come true.
With other teams including Great Olympics and Hearts on their heels, Kotoko cannot also afford to drop points in today’s game.
The Porcupine Warriors would be hoping to make home amends following their surprising 2-1 defeat to Medeama in their last home game.
They would rely on their recent upsurge under coach Mariano Barreto to get the job done and keep their hopes of winning this season’s league.
With the likes of Fabio Gama, Michael Vinicius, Naby Keita and Emmanuel Gyamfi in rich form, Kotoko would go all out to avoid any threat that Dreams would possess.
Kotoko struggled to beat Dreams FC 1-0 in the first round of this season’s league and would need to put in extra effort to get a double over the side that would also be seeking revenge on the day.
Today’s dicey encounter would pave way for other mouthwatering fixtures tomorrow including the clash between league leaders Medeama and Liberty Professionals at Sogakope.
Desperate to maintain their top spot, Medeama would go all out to clinch the three points while a win for a rejuvenated Liberty side would be fancied as they hope to stay far above the relegation zone.
Hearts would face off with the last-but-one on the league table – King Faisal, in another interesting encounter that would see both teams battle it out for the maximum points.
For Hearts, the three points would see them bounce back to winning ways after their defeat to Dreams FC in their last encounter and also keep them within top four while King Faisal would need the points in their bid to escape relegation.
The Len Clay Sports Stadium will also host the clash between Ashantigold and Techiman Eleven Wonders with the home side expected to secure all three points.
Aduana Stars face off with Berekum Chelsea at the Nana Agyemang Badu Park in another mouthwatering encounter, while Inter Allies clash with Elmina Sharks in Dawu.
Sixth and seventh-placed Karela and Bechem United respectively, would also face off at the Camp Park at Anyinase with Karela looking forward to making their home dominance count once again.
At the Cape Coast Stadium, the likes of Asamoah Ghana and Victorien Adebayor would be looking forward to finding their scoring boots for struggling Legon Cities when they play Ebusua Dwarfs.
BY MICHAEL D. ABAYATEYE
Ghana Premier League side, Nations FC, may have suffered the drop in the just ended Premier League and are destined for a fresh campaign in the Division One League (DOL).
But they stand a huge chance of remaining in the elite stage of the game as they face Dreams FC in an epic MTN FA Cup final at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium tomorrow at 6pm.
Dreams FC have been there before; going ahead to taste the honours in the 2022-23 season after defeating King Faisal.
Coming from a season that saw them crawl from the initial stages of the league to finish on a respectable fourth position, they come in as strong favourites to double their honours in the nation’s second top football competition.
History favours them in this regard. On their first final, they conquered and based on this, connoisseurs of the game have tipped them to make it ‘two-on-two.’
But Nations FC have been empowered by the age-old adage that “He that is down need fear no fall.”
Nothing can be worse than suffering relegation and exiting the limelight as far as exposure is concerned.
But the FA offers a decent opportunity to make them stay relevant.
Conquering Dreams FC would not just make them MTN FA Cup champions. It will grant them the prestigious slot to represent Ghana in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) second tier club competition- the Confederations Cup.
With Dreams FC harbouring the same ambitions, the stage is, therefore, set for a final that promises to be explosive and uncompromising.
The situation of Nations FC might have come to many as a surprise, considering their promising start to the season, with their defence especially, marshalled by Black Stars defender, Razak Simpson, and colleague central defender, Raymond Grippman, earning a lot of reviews.
But despite the struggles they endured at certain times of their campaign, the MTN FA Cup always provided slices of good fortunes as they managed to navigate their way to the final.
Road to the top
Nations FC began the MTN FA Cup competition on a promising note, enjoying some good runs with a win over DOL Zone Two side, Ebony FC, in the Round of 64.
That landed them in a tricky encounter with another high-flying Zone Two candidate, AshantiGold SC, a side that eventually won the title from the zone to qualify to the Premier League, but escaped.
At the round of 16 stage, they encountered and defeated Ghana Premier League side, Swedru All Blacks, 2-1 to gain progression to the quarter final stage where they edged Berekum Chelsea on penalties.
A dicey semi-final awaited them against Aduana FC in Swedru. It was a game Nations was given little chance to escape considering Aduana FC’s form but once again, they conquered to secure a final berth.
In total, the Abrankese-based club have scored eight goals and conceded only two throughout the competition, making them one of the strongest defensive sides in the tournament.
For Dreams FC, they defeated Division One League Zone Three side, Semper Fi, 2-1 to progress to the next stage of the competition where they accounted for Division Two side, Asanska FC, 2-0.
That handed them a quarterfinal berth where they faced Inter Allies and drew one all before winning 4-3 on penalties.
The happiest moment in their success story was a 3-2 semi-final win over GPL winners, Medeama SC.
With that feat, Dreams have been touted as potential winners as the match comes at a time the Nations FC side may be psychologically down over the weight of the challenge they face in the next season.
However, the competition has gain notoriety for not following any form guide and outcomes mostly coming as major surprises.
In this regard, Dreams may be tipped as favourite candidates but though Nations are wounded, the stakes could revive an insatiable desire to apply the brakes to turn the dreams of Dreams FC into a nightmare.
Support
The support from MTN Ghana has no doubt improved competition among the clubs with the attractive incentive packages for participating clubs.
MTN Ghana, which is celebrating 30 years of operations in Ghana, formally became headline sponsors of the Ghana FA Cup in the 2010/2011 football season after the competition had returned from an eight-year hiatus.
The first edition under MTN sponsorship was won by Nania FC, who defeated Asante Kotoko 1–0 in the final at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Since then, the competition has been known as the MTN FA Cup, with MTN renewing its sponsorship several times — in 2013, 2017, 2020 and again for subsequent seasons.
By Andrew Nortey
The Black Stars have opened camp in Cardiff ahead of next week’s international friendly against Wales.
The team is being taken through training drills by head coach Carlos Queiroz.
Thirteen players trained at Dragon Park on Monday, with others expected to join the squad on Tuesday.
They include Ernest Nuamah, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jordan Ayew, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Elisha Owusu, Gideon Mensah, Marvin Senaya, Jerome Opoku, Benjamin Asare, Joseph Anang, Solomon Agbasi, and Alidu Seidu.
The Black Stars will train in Cardiff for one week ahead of the international friendly against Wales on Tuesday, June 2, before traveling to the United States of America.
Coach Carlos Queiroz will use the period to assess his players before naming his final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Twenty-six players will be submitted to FIFA on Monday, June 1, as mandated by the competition regulations.
The Black Stars are drawn in Group L with Panama, England, and Croatia. They will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 in Toronto before facing England and Croatia in their other group matches.
