After missing a glorious opportunity to climb to the peak of the league table thanks to Kotoko’s fumbling in Sekondi last Sunday, champion club, Accra Hearts of Oak, face off with their bitterest rivals and league leaders, Kumasi Asante Kotoko in an uncompromising league fixture at the Accra Stadium on Sunday.

This comes exactly 21 days after the two sides had clashed in a similar encounter in the first round of the league, which ended in a stalemate at the Kumasi Stadium - a result the Phobians were thrilled about.

Sunday’s encounter is expected to be no different from that of the first match in Kumasi as it promises to record the usual tension, excitement, controversies, accusations and counter accusations in matches between these two giants of Ghana soccer.

Both teams come into this match with different missions in mind. For the Porcupine Warriors, revenge is all that they will be looking for. The Accra Stadium has been a waterloo for them during the past five years in matches against Hearts. Aside the much-cherished mission of breaking the five-year-old jinx of not beating Hearts in a league match at the Accra Stadium, one other factor Kotoko would consider with utmost importance is to widen the point gap between them and their closest rivals.

The Porcupine Warriors can not just gloss over this factor because it is one of the surest ways of achieving their dream of winning their first premiership title since its inception ten years ago. No one needs to remind them that they must beat the champions if they intend to be champions. This encounter, being the last time they will meet in this year’s league, I hope the Porcupine Warriors wouldn’t let this chance slip and put themselves in the situation of allowing other clubs to beat the champions for them.

Records in the past have proven that the outcome of matches in the two-leg affair between these two teams has in most cases contributed to the determination of the champions. An obvious example is last season when Hearts of Oak emerged champions of the premier league with the four points gained from the two-leg matches the two teams played.

On the other side, champion club Accra Hearts of Oak believe that Sunday will be the turning point in their bid to win their seventh unprecedented successive league title. After slipping badly against Power FC in week 16, the Phobians are well aware that a second successive slip at home against no other side than their closest contenders would spell doom for them.

Hearts embraced the scoreless first round result at the Kumasi Stadium and promised to spew fire at the reds at their theatre of dreams, the Accra Stadium. Many Hearts of Oak faithful are of the strongest opinion that the Accra Stadium is a no go area and don’t see any reason why the porcupine wouldn’t fall. And who can begrudge the Phobians when they have established their superiority over their counterparts in league matches at the Accra Stadium over the previous five years.

But the Phobians also have a difficult jinx to break on Sunday - and that is the Michael Osei jinx. Aside form guide, which is not a major determining factor in matches between these two teams, the Michael Osei factor is the only factor that goes the way of the Porcupine Warriors.

Kotoko has never lost to Hearts when Michael Osei is playing in both league and non-league matches ever since the player joined Kotoko four seasons ago from Dwarfs.

Michael did not feature in all the disastrous defeats suffered at the hands of Hearts in recent memories. His absence in the past was due to either injury or truancy. For admirers of mysticism, they believe the porcupine would smile all the way to Kumasi with all the three points should Ember Power play on Sunday. They contend that the worst result for the Porcupine Warriors would be a draw.

Kotoko’s hopes of depending on the Michael Osei factor to beat Hearts on Sunday would come to fruition only if the player decides not to "swerve" like he did last year. The focus would be on him if he turns up or features in what would be his first ever league match against Hearts of Oak at the Accra Stadium since joining Kotoko.

For Hearts of Oak, history favours them to secure all the three points at stake on Sunday. Kotoko’s record at the Accra Stadium against Hearts in the last five years has been nothing to write home about. This is the record the ever-demanding Hearts faithful believe would not be broken now, at least not on Sunday. Kotoko has scored only two goals against Hearts in a league match at the Accra Stadium and conceded as many as twelve goals. Incidentally, the two scorers for Kotoko, Emmanuel Yartey and Lawrence Adjei are no more in the Kotoko team.

The best results for Kotoko in league matches against Hearts in Accra have been the 1:1 drawn game in 1998. Emmanuel Yartey who later joined Hearts from Kotoko opened the scoring for the porcupines before Joe Ansah equalised for the Phobians. Hearts of Oak defeated Kotoko 2:0 the following year in Accra.

In the year 2000, Hearts of Oak recorded the biggest score line ever in matches between the two rivals by spectacularly humiliating the Porcupine Warriors by four goals to nil. It was a victory the Phobians themselves found difficult to believe. Then the following year too, the Phobians recorded yet another victory in a match that turned out to be Africa’s worst football disaster. Kotoko lost the game 1:2 after holding a Lawrence Adjei strike until the last fifteen minutes of the match.

The last time the Porcupine Warriors played Hearts of Oak in a league match at the nation’s Wembley recorded more tears for the reds. After playing so well in a match, which they shouldn’t have lost, they once again got humiliated by the Phobians. It took the Phobians a ten-minute blitz to expertly demolish the Porcupine Warriors.

One player whose contribution would be monitored closely by observers would be Charles Taylor. This match would mark the return of the terrible terror to the Accra Stadium ever since he quit the champions and the first time he would play against his former club at the same venue. It would be interesting to see how the Oseikrom Prince fares in front of the fans who had previously carried him shoulder high on countless occasions.

All stakeholders in Sunday’s match should ensure security and excellent comportment of the fans. With just two days to the big match, the Kotoko’s Circles Council and Hearts of Oak’s Chapters Committee should educate their fans through their reported rallies scheduled for Circle and El-Wak respectively tomorrow.

The unacceptable behaviour of throwing bagged water exhibited in the first round match at the Kumasi Stadium should be discouraged through the placing of security men within the spectators. As I said the other time, security personnel who are detailed at our various stadia would do this nation a lot of good if they consider the safety of all supporters supreme to their club affiliations.

We are told only the lower section of the Osu stand would be opened to spectators. I hope this is not mere talk and that the right thing would be done to prevent supporters from trooping to the upper section of the stand, as was the case when Kotoko played Okwawu in the first round.

The men who would handle the whistle and the flags should prove to Ghanaians that despite the recent loss of reverence in the referees, there still exists few ones to rely on. Both teams, Hearts and Kotoko, should for once save Ghana football the embarrassment they always subject it to through their frequent unprofessional acts before, during and after their matches. For the sake of professionalism, conducts like sprinkling of concoctions, refusal to enter the dressing room and the last minute change of jersey should be avoided on Sunday.

Let all stakeholders play their respective roles well to ensure an incident free match on Sunday.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Of all men’s miseries the bitterest is this, to know so much and to have control over nothing.

I’ll surely be back on Wednesday.

INSHA ALLAH