Sports
Outstanding Premier League Matchday 20 Preview
The outstanding matchday 20 of the Premier League takes place across seven centres on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.
Here is a preview of Wednesday’s matches.
Young Apostles vs Asante Kotoko
Young Apostles welcome Asante Kotoko to the Wenchi Sports Stadium on Wednesday in the Premier League.
Apostles’ 1-0 victory over bottom-placed Accra Lions last Saturday was their seventh win in the league this season after 21 matches. They’ve secured 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat in the last five outings, having scored 14 and conceded 20 in the process.
Young Apostles are currently occupying the 10th position in the league table with 27 points. They head into this fixture with an unbeaten record in their last five successive home league games (W3, D2) without conceding in four of those games. The Wenchi lads will be desperate to grab all the spoils over the Ghanaian giants on Wednesday.
League leaders Asante Kotoko came from behind to salvage a point in a very absorbing fixture at Samartex over the weekend. That victory has seen the Porcupine Warriors record the most wins in the league so far (11). They’ve amassed 38 points in 21 league matches, having scored the joint most goals (24) and conceded 14.
Prosper Nartey Ogum’s men are the third-best away performers in the league currently and will be desperate to secure all the spoils away from home on Wednesday when they trip to Young Apostles.
Young Apostles are playing Asante Kotoko at home in the league for the first time since the Wenchi lads gained promotion into the Premier League this season.
FC Samartex 1996 vs Medeama SC
FC Samartex 1996 will hope to continue their impressive form when they entertain Medeama SC at the Nsenkyire Sports Arena on Wednesday March 19, 2025.
The league champions are unbeaten in their last seven consecutive league matches (W2, D5), having scored 14 and conceded the second joint least goals (11).
They are currently 8th in the league table with 28 points. The Timber Giants come into this fixture as the sixth weakest home side after 11 matches at home. They will be keen to snatch the maximum points on Wednesday over a Medeama SC side they’ve never lost to at home in the league since 2022.
The Mauve and Yellow have slipped to the 7th position in the league table with 32 points, following two wins and three defeats in the last five outings.
They’ve scored the second most goals in the league (22) and conceded 19. Medeama SC head into this fixture with three successive defeats in their last five matches away from home and will aim for a decent result on Wednesday.
FC Samartex 1996 have played Medeama SC twice at home in the league since 2022/23 season with FC Samartex 1996 winning one and drawing one.
In the 2022/23 season, FC Samartex drew goalless with Medeama SC and won 1-0 in the 2023/24 season.
Bechem United vs Hearts of Oak
Bechem United entertain Hearts of Oak at the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park on Wednesday in the Premier League.
Ernest Danso’s men ended their two-game losing streak by defeating Premier League new boys Vision FC with two unanswered goals last time out (W2, D1, L2). The Hunters are currently 6th in the league table with 33 points, having scored the third joint most goals (21) and conceded 14. United are the best home performers in the league so far (W8, D2). They head into this fixture as the only team yet to concede at or suffer defeat at home this season. They will seek to continue their impressive home form on Wednesday.
Hearts of Oak’s seven-match unbeaten streak came to an abrupt end at the weekend as they were beaten 0-1 by Dreams FC at home soil (W2, D2, L1). They’ve amassed 36 points in 21 league matches, and are currently occupying the 4th position. They’ve scored 19 and conceded the least goals in the league (11). The Phobians are the second best away performers and will be desperate to bounce back to winning ways on Wednesday when they trip to Bechem.
Bechem United have played Hearts of Oak four times at home in the league sine 2020/21 season with the Hunters winning one, drawing one and losing two.
In the 2020/21 season, Bechem United lost 0-1 to Hearts of Oak, drawn 1-1 in the 2021/22 season, won 1-0 in the 2022/23 season and suffered a 2-3 defeat in the 2023/24 season.
Basake Holy Stars vs Gold Stars FC
Basake Holy Stars will aim to get back to winning ways when they welcome Gold Stars FC to the Ampain AAK II Sports Arena on Wednesday.
Hoy Stars are winless in their last five league matches (D3, L2), having scored the third joint most goals (21) and conceded the third joint most goals (22). They are 12th in the league table with 24 points.
The Aiyinase lads have conceded just a single goal in their last five home matches (W3, D2) and are among the top ten best home sides in the league currently. They will yearn for all the spoils on Wednesday.
Gold Stars FC remain in the second position in the league table with 37 points despite suffering 2-0 defeat at Aduana FC over the weekend (W2, D1, L2). They’ve scored 20 and conceded the second joint least goals (12) ahead of the clash. The Miners come into this fixture with three defeats in their last five matches away from home (W1, D1) and will be keen to secure victory on Wednesday.
Basake Holy Stars are playing Gold Stars FC at home in the league for the first time since the Aiyinase lads gained promotion in the Premier League this season.
Heart of Lions vs Dreams FC
Dreams FC travel to the Kpando Sports Stadium to battle Heart of Lions on Wednesday.
An impressive 1-0 victory at home against struggling Karela United last Sunday has seen Bashiru Hayford’s men record their tenth win in the league this season. They are currently 3rd in the league table with 37 points, having scored 20 and conceded the second joint least goals (12).
The Kpando lads are the second best home performers, they’ve suffered just a single defeat in their 11 home matches played this season (W8, D2, L1). They will seek to maintain their remarkable home form on Wednesday.
Dreams FC ended Heart of Oak’s seven-game unbeaten streak in a 1-0 victory away from home last time out. The Believers are currently 13th in the league table with 24 points after 21 rounds of matches. They’ve won 2, drawn 2 and suffered just single defeat in the last five outings, having scored the least goals (11) and conceded 16. Head Coach Abdul Karim Zito’s men head into this fixture as the eighth best away side and will aim for a rare outcome on Wednesday when they trip to Kpando.
Heart of Lions have played Dreams FC once at home in the league since the Kpando lads gained promotion back into the Premier League last season with the game ending in a 1-0 victory for Heart of Lions.
Nations FC vs Aduana FC
Nations FC entertain Aduana FC at the DR. Kwame Kyei Sports Complex on Wednesday.
Nations FC’s form has been up and down, with two wins and three defeats in their last five league matches. Such inconsistency is hampering their chances of securing a place in the top four. They are 5th in the league table with 35 points, having scored the joint most goals (24) and conceded the third joint least goals (13). Kassim Mingle Ocansey’s men head into the game as the seventh weakest home performers in the league this season.
Aduana FC produced spirited performance to defeat Gold Stars FC (2-0) in their previous league fixture to continue their February-March impressive form (W2, D1) as they are yet to concede a goal in the league since February. They are currently 11th in the table with 25 points, having scored 16 and conceded 17. The Fire Club are among the top ten best away performers in the league this season, they will be eager to record victory away from home for the second time on Wednesday.
Nations FC have played Aduana FC once at home in the league since the Abrankese lads gained promotion into the top-flight last season with the game ending in a 2-1 victory for Nations FC.
Legon Cities vs Vision FC
Struggling Legon Cities welcome newly promoted side Vision FC to the University of Ghana Sports Stadium on Wednesday in the Premier League.
Ending a two-game losing run with a hard-fought 2-1 win at home to Berekum Chelsea, Legon Cities are now seeking consecutive league victories for the first time since January as they continue to vie to exit the drop zone.
The Royals are 16th in the league table with 20 points, having won 3 and suffered two defeats in the last five outings. They’ve scored 16 and conceded the most goals in the league this season (29). Cities have won their last three consecutive home fixtures ahead of the clash and are the ninth-best home performers.
Vision FC fell to their third defeat in their last five league matches last Sunday (W1, D1, L3), going down 2-0 at away to Bechem United and are just three points away from the bottom three in the table. They’ve amassed 23 points in 21 matches, having scored 16 and conceded second joint most goals (24).
The Tema-based is the fifth weakest away side (D2, L3) and will aim for a favourable result on Wednesday.
Legon Cities are playing Vision FC at home in the league for the first time since the Tema base gained promotion into the Premier League this season.
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.
