Sports News of Friday, 3 March 2023

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Hearts of Oak vs Kotoko: Check out the combined 11 as Ghanaians prepare for Super Claash

Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko players Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko players

GhanaWeb Feature

The clock is ticking fast and fans can't wait for Sunday, March 5, 2023, when the two biggest and most successful clubs in the history of Ghana football clash in the Super Clash.

Hearts of Oak on Sunday will take on rivals Asante Kotoko at the Accra Sports Stadium in the 2022/2023 betPawa Ghana Premier League matchday 20 fixture.

This Ghana Premier League Super Clash will be special because it will also be used to honour Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo the two teams battle for the President's Cup.

Many dignitaries aside from the president will visit the Accra Sports Stadium for the game and the players will have to deliver to the full expectations of the fans.

Ahead of the game, the GhanaWeb Sports team have put together a combined best of 11 of the two teams.

Below is the combined starting 11 of both Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko:

Danlad Ibrahim

Danlad Ibrahim has been the safest pair of hands for Asante Kotoko but for him, a place in Chris Hughton's Black Stars squad will be the ultimate target on Sunday.

The goalkeeper was a member of the Black Stars squad in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and will be using Sunday's game which will have many eyeballs to remind the coach about his availability.

Richard Atta used the Super Clash in 2022 to gate crashed Ghana's AFCON squad in Cameroon and Danlad will be hoping to make a claim for himself. Danlad gets this slot ahead of Richard Ayi who has been fairly good this season.

Augustine Agyapong and Dennis Nkrumah Korsah

This duo are believed to be the best right back and left back in the country as they were Ghana's first choice for the positions in the 2022 CHAN tournament in Algeria.

Agyapong and Korsah are both good in defensive and attacking duties and will have to show that to the thousands of Ghanaians who will watch the game on Sunday, March 5, 2023.

The duo have all experience the Super Clash before and they know what it takes to excel in games involving Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak.

Mohammed Alhassan

Many eyes will be on the central defender who joined Asante Kotoko after being deemed surplus to requirement at Accra Hearts of Oak by head coach Slavko Matic.

Mohammed Alhasssan won the Ghana Premier League, FA Cup (twice), President’s Cup, and Super Cup with Accra Hearts of Oak before switching sides to Asante Kotoko.

Though he has only made three appearances for Kotoko, he was selected by virtue of his experience and performance for Hearts of Oak in the first half of the season.

Konadu Yiadom

The former WAFA captain gets the number 4 position because Asante Kotoko have been inconsistent with the personnel they select for that position on matchdays which clearly shows that coach Zerbo is still not certain about his options at the back.

Sheriff Mohammed, Yusfi Mubarik, Andrews Appau, and Justice Blay have all had a fair share of minutes at the back for Asante Kotoko and that gives the advantage to Konadu Yiadom.

Konadu still has a lot to prove since joining Accra Hearts of Oak from WAFA. His performance in the 2022 CHAN for the Black Galaxies didn't do him enough justice about his competence.

Richard Boadu

The former Medeama midfielder has been a great asset to Asante Kotoko since making the switch before the start of 2021/2022 Ghana Premier League season.

Boadu helped the Porcupine Warriors to win the Premier League title after missing out on the MTN FA Cup trophy following the defeat to King Faisal in the Round of 64 games.

As the captain of Asante Kotoko, Richard Boadu has led by example with his performances getting the edge over Accra Hearts of Oak's Eric Esso.

Linda Mtange

The former DR Congo U-20 midfielder has been one of the brightest spots for Accra Hearts of Oak despite the Phobians' continuous struggle in the ongoing season.

Linda has made just seven appearances for the Phobians but his performance for Accra Hearts of Oak has been too glaring for even rival fans to ignore.

He got the nod over Asante Kotoko's Eric Zeze and Justive Blay who have been inconsistent in the ongoing season.

Richmond Lamptey

Arguably the best-attacking midfielder in the Ghana Premier League. Lamptey hasn't seen more action this season because of injuries but his quality has never been in doubt.

Richmond Lamptey was picked by the GhanaWeb Sports team ahead of Ntanga who has equally been good for Accra Hearts of Oak.

Enoch Morisson

The youngster is now warming his way up to become one of the most dangerous left-footed wingers in the ongoing Ghana Premier League season.

Morisson has been superb so far but the numbers do not back his performance in the games for Asante Kotoko.

However, he has added goals to his dribbling game as he has scored two in his last five games and will be a huge asset for Asante Kotoko against Hearts of Oak.

Benjamin York

The former SC Samatex striker is the current top scorer for Hearts of Oak in the ongoing season despite not enjoying many minutes since the exit of coach Samuel Boadu.

Benjamin York has scored 4 goals for Accra Hearts of Oak and is the only Phobian on the top scorer chart which is being led by Berekum Chelsea's Mezack Afriyie.

Kwadwo Obeng Jnr and other experienced players are around for the big game but the youngster has shown that he can do a lot with the few minutes he normally gets to play.

Steve Mukwala

The Ugandan striker after suffering to adapt to life at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in the first half of the ongoing 2022/2023 Ghana Premier League season is currently on fire for Asante Kotoko.

The Porcupine Warriors haven't been at their best in the ongoing season as they have been eliminated from the MTN FA Cup and currently occupy the second position on the League table.

However, things are working for Mukwala who is now the top scorer for Asante Kotoko after scoring 8 goals and the Porcupines will count on him to deliver again on Sunday.

Mukwala's place in this lineup was not going to be challenged by any Phobian striker as he has been miles ahead of any of the attackers at Accra Hearts of Oak.

Author: Joel Eshun