Sports
Hearts to worsen plight of Dreams …as Kotoko storm Tamale for RTU
Another golden opportunity to clinch maximum points awaits Hearts of Oak’s new Serbian coach Matic Slavko when they host Dreams FC in their Week 8 betPawa Ghana Premier League fixture at the Accra Sports Stadium tomorrow.
The game would also offer the Serbian and his charges an opportunity to showcase their worth in the absence of talisman Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, who is with the senior national team, the Black Stars at the World Cup in Qatar.
It had also come at a good time for Hearts when Dreams FC seem to be at their lowest level of performance, having picked just a point in their last five games going into the encounter.
More so, playing at home against a struggling side should be handled like a hot knife slicing through butter for the Phobians who seem to be on a resurgence path.
In the absence of Barnieh, the Phobians could boast of the likes of Gladson Awako, Isaac Mensah, Salifu Ibrahim and veteran Samuel Inkoom to secure all three points.
However, Dreams FC could be up to cause an upset and get their season back on track, following their disappointing run in recent times.
The Dawu lads started the season on a very bright note and won their first two games, but their fortunes took a downward turn afterwards.
They will, however, go into tomorrow’s game hoping to turn their fortunes around and give the Phobians a run for their money.
A win against Hearts would also move Dreams FC up the table as they currently lie 14th, just above the likes of King Faisal, Kotoku Royals, Samartex and Tamale City.
Another team that should be beaming with confidence and geared up to securing another three points would be Accra Great Olympics as they travel to face Berekum Chelsea.
Olympics are enjoying a decent run after bouncing back from defeat in the hands of Legon Cities on match-day 6 to win their last game against Real Tamale United (RTU) on Wednesday.
They would be fired up to maintain their momentum and clinch another win away at Berekum against a side that is yet to make a huge statement so far, this season. A difficult task, though, it should be for the visitors.
Elsewhere, Bechem United host Nsoatreman at Bechem with a determination to secure consecutive wins, while Samartex will square off with Karela in another cagey encounter.
Medeama SC host Kotoku Royals at Tarkwa, while high-rising Legon Cities battle it out with Bibiani Goldstars in Accra.
Aduana Stars travel all the way to Tamale to play Tamale City with King Faisal and impressive Accra Lions settling their scores at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
Meanwhile, RTU will this afternoon host Asante Kotoko at Tamale in a fierce encounter to begin the weekend’s round of exciting premier league fixtures.
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.
