The much anticipated Super Clash between Kotoko and Hearts takes place on Sunday with the Porcupine Warriors coming into this game as the favourites. Kotoko are placed seventh with 19 points, with the Phobians placing eighth with 16 points.
As usual there are a few players in the Hearts setup who will be key if their side are to come away with all three points on the night and here we take a look at five of them.
Michael Ampadu
The Hearts right-back is a delight to watch. He is an energetic presence and provides plenty of cuts and thrust down the right flank, but he isn’t found wanting defensively.
He forces turnovers high up the field before inching forwards into the opponent’s half. He likes to combine with his left winger, progressing down the line with his 1-2s and transitions, rather than looking to beat players with skill or pace.
Perhaps his biggest strength is his game intelligence. Incredibly mature and composed as a leader, he has good communication and organizing skills which ensure that defensive lapses do not occur.
Glid Otanga
The midfielder is the beating heart of the Hearts team and as such his biting tackles, battling spirit, and aggressive leadership style will be crucial when they face Kotoko on Sunday.
The Phobians will go into this game as underdogs taking into account their recent performances vis-a-vis their opponents. Emerging victorious will depend upon a commanding midfield display from Otanga. If he is on form, then the rest of the side will find it easier to stay compact, follow his lead, and rough up the Porcupines.
Salifu Ibrahim
There’s no doubting that Ibrahim is a simply superb player. His immense work rate, intelligence, tenacity, and technique make him a fundamental part of this Hearts side.
A standard Ibrahim's performance would be most other players' season highlight, and this sometimes makes it difficult to pick his stand-out games hence receiving effusive praises from the fans.
Due to his well-roundedness, he can play in various positions and roles but is mostly assigned a deep-lying or box-box midfield role. He is blessed with an ability to change direction with almost effortless ease, and his balance on the ball- combined with a great awareness of what’s around him- makes him a constant threat.
Kelvin Osei Assibey
Composure, aerial threat, technical ability, defensive awareness and leadership. The defender has it all and has nothing been short of superb this season.
Arguably one of the best centre-backs in the league currently, Assibey's astuteness and leadership may well be needed against a Kotoko side who will likely start Steven Dear Mukwala and Isaac Oppong in attack.
His ability to break lines as well as his long passing ability has been overlooked by many this season. Assibey will pose a huge threat against Prosper Narteh Ogum's side.
Hamza Issah
The young forward could have a big say on proceedings when these two giants of Ghanaian football face off on Sunday.
Able to play anywhere in attack, he's pacy and loves to take his opponents on using his terrific dribbling ability.
With five goals in 9 games for the Phobians, Issah has became an important player for Hearts and will need to be at his best in order to help them win on the day.
The budding forward is a good dribbler and outwits his markers with ease. He can play as a number 10 or a false 9. He is renowned for his clever movement, where he drifts into pockets of space from a false 9 role to create angles for teammates. His intelligence with space and eye for a pass also makes him an attractive option playing behind a striker.
