Ghana’s sole representative in the CAF inter club competitions Asante have really performed in the group C of the Confederations Cup to the admiration of many, and the club’s representative to the Greater Accra region, Edmund Ackah has stated that his outfit will beat Sudan’s Al Hilal Omdurman on Sunday to seal qualification to the quarter finals without having to depend on cumbersome calculations.
After beating Kotoko by a lone goal in the opening group match in Sudan, drawing with Zesco United in Zambia and walloping them 3-1 in the reverse fixture, The Blue Waves lead group C with 7 points, one more than Asante Kotoko who have 6 same as Nkana FC with Zesco rounding the table with 4 points after four matches so far.
To avoid last day pressure and over reliance on cumbersome calculations and on the results from Al Hilal and Nkana FC last match, Kotoko are required to go past Hilal on Sunday at the Baba Yara Sports stadium with better goal difference and to take them to 9 points and hope to at least, secure a draw at Zesco on the last day fixture to qualify from the group.
Section of football pundits on the continent believe with the quality of Al Hilal, Kotoko have got least chance of beating them in Kumasi, but Ackah insists the Porcupine Warriors will defy all odds to beat Hilal to secure qualification without calculations.
“We shall qualify (from the group) on Sunday, that is what we are focusing on not another team’s match”, Edmund Ackah begun, speaking to FOX FM. “We shall not depend on calculations to qualify, we lost 3-1 away (to Nkana FC), we needed 2 or 3 nil against them so they are out (of our way in terms of head to head rule), he maintained.
According to the astute Kotoko management member, Kotoko are fully aware of the kind of results they need against Al Hilal come Sunday and are prepared work assiduously to get it. Ackah believes his outfit only needs a win over Hilal and that will be enough for them to forget about the outcome of Al Hilal’s last match against Nkana at home.
“Al Hilal beat us 1-0 so the result we want we know and we have to work on it and get that result on Sunday, after that we are done, whoever beats who in the last round fixtures it no longer concerns us”, Ackah insisted.
Asked whether a surprise win for Nkana over Al Hilal in the last match wouldn’t hurt Kotoko, Ackah noted that Kotoko has a better head to head advantage over the Red Devils and cannot be at a disadvantage.
“If we beat Hilal here and grab 9 points, the next closest team is Nkana and we are better than them now in terms of head to head, and they are going to Hilal so whatever they will do we care not, we will wait for one of them to join us (to qualify)”, he concluded.
Asante Kotoko will host Al Hilal on Sunday at the Baba Yara sports stadium in match day four of the group. The match kicks off at 16:00 hours GMT.
