Ashanti Gold vs Asante Kotoko: "Wounded" Porcupines seek redemption in tricky derby against regional rivals – Preview

The week 11 of the 2020/2021 Ghana Premier League season provides rousing and unmissable derbies, and among the notables is the Ashanti derby which will see Kumasi Asante Kotoko travel to Obuasi to cross swords with Ashanti Gold Sporting Club on Sunday.

Both clubs are going into the game with the mindset of avoiding successive defeats, after losing their previous games. Ashanti Gold gave away a lead against Legon Cities in Accra, where the Royals came from behind twice to beat them 5-2 after the Miners had taken an early lead. Asante Kotoko on the other hand, played what according to match statistics, was their best game of the 10 weeks old league season against Aduana Stars last Sunday, but a late thunderbolt striker from Samuel Bioh for the “Ogya” boys sent the Porcupines home empty handed.

As the bragging rights hands for grab, both Asante Kotoko and Ashanti Gold will look to redeem themselves, especially Asante Kotoko who stand a chance of going top of the league table for the first time this season should they beat the Miners and other clubs in the top 4 fail to win their games.

TEAM NEWS

Ashanti Gold Sporting Club

Coach Milovan Cirkovic is faced with what appears to be a daunting task to guide the Miners back to winning ways by winning the tricky derby on Sunday. Ashanting Gold have won just once in their last three league matches, and losing against Asatne Kotoko not an option for them.

Ashanti Gold SC training on Friday morning at the Len Clay sports stadium, and the team will continue with second session in the evening at the same venue. Head coach Milovan Cirkovic will name a 20-man squad after Friday evening training for camping ahead of the Sunday match. The 20 players to make the match squad will move to camp immediately after Friday evening training where the team will continue to prepare for the blockbuster derby.

INJURY UPDATE: Ashgold will be without influential midfielder Appiah McCarthy and striker Dacosta Boadu due to injuries. McCarthy, who has scored 3 league goals this season, sustained a knee injury during the club’s 5-2 defeat to Legon Cities last week and has since been ruled out for few weeks. Dacosta is as well on his way to recovery and will miss the first Ashanti derby of the current campaign.

Aside the two players named above, all other players are fully available for selection. Ashgold’s top scorer in the league this season Yaw Annor (5 goals) is likely to start along with striker Hans Kwoffie who has been a bit quiet in scoring after netting 4 goals during the early stages of the league.

Player to watch: Yaw Annor (The skillful winger has scored 5 goals for the Miners and is the club’s top scorer in the league.

Asante Kotoko Sporting Club

Asante Kotoko travel to Obuasi with the mindset of not just to win the game but also to brighten their chances of topping the league table. The Porcupine Warriors missed out on the chance to go atop the league table last week after losing at home by 1-0 to Aduana Stars, thanks to a substitute Samuel Bioh ferocious strike. However, Asante currently sit 6th on the league table with 16 points, 3 points behind leaders Bechem United who came from behind to beat Eleven Wonders in the matchday 11 fixture on Friday.

INJURY UPDATES: Acting coach Johnson Smith’s side will miss the services of dependable centre back Habb Mohammed, after he picked up a critical injury in the game against Aduana Stars last Sunday. Right back Patrick Asmah will also miss the match against Ashanti Gold SC through injury.

Meanwhile, the 24 times league champions have received good news as midfielder Emmanuel Sarkodie has returned to the squad after missing the last game through suspension. Influential midfielder Emmanuel Keyekeh has been training with the squad this week after spending some time out due to injury. The former Karela United star is warming himself back and may pass late fitness test to face the Miners.

Brazilian midfielder Fabio Gama also suffered convulsion from an areal challenge against Aduana Stars and was earlier feared to miss the tricky derby. Gama has however recovered and has been passed fit by the medical team of Asante Kotoko, making him available and could play a part in the match. Mudasiru Salifu who returned from a long injury lay off recently, trained very well this week and is expected to feature on Sunday.

In their last game against Aduana Stars, Asante Kotoko completed over 500 accurate passes through the 90 minutes, and statistically won most of the duels on the field. They however lost the game sadly and majority of the fans and pundits believe that the referee, Emmanuel Tampuri, had some decisions wrongly taken against Kotoko, which included a denial of what was believed to be a penalty call on two occasions which should have been awarded to Asante Kotoko. As a result, the Porcupine Warriors are poised to make a statement on the field of play against their regional rivals on Sunday.

Player to watch: Kwame Opoku (he is Asante Kotoko top scorer in the league with 6 goals)

MATCH FACTS

• Asante Kotoko travel to Obusi as the best away performing club in the league so far this season.
• The Porcupines are undefeated away from home in 5 matches so far (W2, D3).
• Kotoko have picked the highest points from away matches (9), and have scored 5 goals in 5 games and conceded 3.
• Ashanti Gold are only the second club with the highest number of goals scored at home (13) after Hearts of Oak, conceding 6.
• Ashanti Gold are undefeated at home this season in all competitions in 6 matches (W3, D3)
• In their last 10 visits to Obuasi in the league, Asante Kotoko have won just twice (W2, D1, L6)

HEAD TO HEAD

The Ashanti derby has been in existence since the 80s and has seen the biggest clubs in the Ashanti region face off in over 65 times in competitive matches, and the Porcupine Warriors have enjoyed majority of victories in this clash. The maiden fixture dates back as far as November 1985 when the two sides faced off in Obuasi with the game ending in a scoreless stalemate. Narrowing the statistics to the period between 2006 till date (2021), Kotoko still lead the way with slim advantage.

Since 2006, Asante Kotoko and AshGold met 26 times in the league and Kumasi based have won 10, drawn 6 and lost 10. Asante Kotoko have scored 31 goals and conceded 27. AshGold have as such, won 10, drawn 6 and lost 10 as well. The Miners have scored 27 goals and conceded 31.

MATCH INFORMATION

DATE: Sunday, January 31, 2021 – 3pm

MATCH: Ashantigold vs Asante Kotoko (LIVE ON STARTIMES)

VENUE: Len Clay Stadium

REFEREE: Maxwell Hanson

ASSISTANTS: Kwesi Brobbey & Francis Bodzie Arthur

4TH REFEREE: Maxwell Owusu

MATCH COMMISSIONER: Jacob Amegashie