League Day 23: Kotoko Vrs Olympics

IT'S back to normal times for football's traditional giants, Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko. After recent setbacks the two sides are back to their winning ways, with Hearts' losses to RTU and Liberty Professionals fuelling Kotoko's self-belief and title aspirations.

This weekend the two sides have home games whose outcome could change the configuration of the top rungs of the premier league ladder. The defending champions have what looks like an easy payday against Brong Ahafo United while Kotoko engage one-time allies, Accra Great Olympics, in the weekend's top fixture.

After disposing of Okwawu United in Accra last Saturday, Kotoko's Scottish coach, Ian Porterfield, told the Graphic Sports that the defeat to Hearts served as a wake-up call which has pushed them on to close in on the Phobians. But his biggest worry has been recurrent injuries to his players, although they have managed 1-0 victories in their recent outings in which their top marksman, Nana Arhin-Duah, has been sidelined.

Porterfield and his red army should be happy to welcome back Arhin-Duah from treatment in South Africa and the striker is expected to lead their assault against the Wonder Club.

Olympics were no match in the first round and Kotoko look odds-on favourites on home soil, but their opponents are much tougher customers today after routing Bofoakwa 4-2 last Sunday. They would definitely push Kotoko much harder but they do not have a realistic chance to dent Kotoko's unbeaten home run.

Hearts looked their dreaded best against Maxbees last Sunday and their confidence is soaring again. The fact that they can dispense with the services of four-goal scorer Emmanuel Kuffour underscores their depth in strength and striking options.

B.A. United are looking shaky and have reached a point where they must draw on their strength and ensure that they do not return to Sunyani empty-handed. They would try to pull a surprise, Liberty-style, but the nation's capital does not look a fertile ground for B.A. to achieve such an audacious feat given the discomfort Kotoko are giving the Phobians.

RTU are keeping to a tradition of pushing hard up the ladder in the second round of every season. After stunning Hearts, they are on song and are on the threshold of moving to the fourth place by defeating visiting Sekondi Hsaacas at Bolgatanga where they are undefeated in 11 matches.

The Sunyani Coronation Park will witness a tough encounter between struggling Bofoakwa and Power FC who have both intensified the fight to escape relegation. Lately, Bofoakwa are no longer masters of all they survey at Sunyani, and thus Power may fancy their chances to split the points at stake. But their poor away record makes the home side favourites.

Bottom-placed Maxbees and Dawu Youngsters also clash in another tough encounter at Koforidua while Okwawu could suffer another defeat in a row when they travel to Prestea to battle Mine Stars.

Goldfields look poised to prolong Arsenal's winless streak in away matches when they clash at the Obuasi Len Clay stadium.

Liberty Professionals set the ball rolling this weekend when they take on stubborn King Faisal in the nation's capital this afternoon in an encounter that Cecil Jones Attuquayefio's side start as favourites.