2025 kicks off with a bang in the Ghana Premiership as Aduana Stars host Samartex at the Nana Agyemang Badu Park.
Head-to-head Samartex is ahead of Aduana as the Ogya Boys have failed to win any of the previous four meetings. This makes the fixture distinctly one-sided.
Match Preview
The Timber Giants have beaten Aduana three times, drawing just one, with Samartex supremacy in the clash being reflected by their overall dominance.
Last season champions' Samartex have little chance of reclaiming the crown this season with Bashir Hayford's Heart of Lions' side running top of the table with 30 points, with incessant questions rattling on people's mouth that - can the former cellar dwellers keep abreast with their current form and run away with the league title? Well for me personally, only time will tell.
Samartex are 9th with 18 points, one point clear of their Sunday's hosts enduring an underwhelming (11th with 17 points) campaign with Romanian Cioaba Aristica at the helm.
Aristica's team head into the match having drawn with Accra Lions at home and winning at Legon Cities to conclude 2024. Samartex have recorded just three wins, losing five and drawn twice and have conceded seven goals in 10 league games.
Aduana Stars possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Inusah (GK); Adams (C), Addo, Bamba, Boateng, Duah, Obeng, Sackey, Silas, Tetteh, Wakii
Samartex possible starting lineup (4-3-3):
Baah (GK) (C); Acquah, Adabo, Afful, Agbeaimah, Adjei, Ephson, Mamah, Mensah, Sarpong, Sefah
We say: Aduana 2-1 Samartex
Samartex head into the contest in poor form and without much hope of upping their tally at the summit, but they recently proved in their match-day 15 1-1 draw game against Nations FC that they can compete with this Aduana side in a one-off encounter.
The hosts will, of course, be emboldened by a fervent Agyemang Badu atmosphere, but the dualistic 2010 and 2017 GPL champions have not displayed an impressive ability in recent years to win at home against their Sunday fiercest opponents.
Both club's are supreme defensively and doubtlessly the superior side should win. That should show again here.
By: Pascal Amoah
