The Ghana Premier League table is slowly taking shape as we reach matchday 5 and there are some interesting match-ups to note.

Asante Kotoko will play in a closed stadium without fans as they host struggling Ebusua Dwarfs in Kumasi and Hearts of Oak will aim for their second win of the season as they travel to Dansoman to face Liberty Professionals.

Elsewhere, two of the top three in AshantiGold and Berekum Chelsea will slug it out at the Len Clay Sports Stadium.

Joy Sports previews all nine games:

AshantiGold vs Berekum Chelsea

AshantiGold have been arguably one of the best sides in the league so far this season.

The Miners have the joint most points (10) and have scored the third highest number of goals (6).

The Obuasi-based side also have one of the meanest defences in the league this season. They are yet to concede a goal and sit comfortably in second place.

Mambo’s men will look to maintain their unbeaten streak and possibly earn the top spot at the end of game week 5 as they prepare to host the giant slayers Berekum Chelsea.

Berekum Chelsea have also produced some admirable performances since the start of the 2019/20 Ghana Premier League season and their current third place is a fair reflection.

The Blues also have the joint most points in the league (10) and are yet to concede. Their lack of goals however may be a concern as they have only found the net on three occasions.

Joseph Asare Bediako’s men will look to add AshantiGold to their list of casualties at the Len Clay Sports Stadium on Saturday.

On head-to-head basis, Berekum Chelsea have been on top with three wins and two defeats, scoring a total of 10 goals.

The Blues have however failed to get any result in their last two visits to AshantiGold, conceding 7 goals in the process.

Prediction: AshantiGold 1-0 Berekum Chelsea

This tie will be a close one but AshantiGold are favourites for this one with their home advantage.

Aduana Stars v Legon Cities

Aduana Stars left neutrals questioning their title aspirations after falling to a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Techiman Eleven Wonders.

The Ogya boys should not be taken for granted however as they possess a potent attacking threat in Yahaya Mohammed.

The former Asante Kotoko player was unable to score in the previous match day but still sits top of the goal scoring chart with 5 strikes, contributing to 71% of his team’s goals (7).

Aduana have moved down to fourth place and the match against Legon Cities provides an opportunity to get back to winning ways.

Legon Cities have failed to impress overall despite their progress made on social media.

The Royals have earned just three points so far and are without a win in four matches.

Goran Barjaktarevic has acknowledged that his charges have a lot to work on in their aim to reach optimum fitness and asked for two weeks minimum to achieve that.

That may mean more of the same on the performance level until the two weeks have passed. They will need something special to pull off an upset at the Nana Agyemang Badu Park.

Surprisingly, Legon Cities have been the better team in their last five encounters, winning four and drawing one.

The Royals last won an away game against Aduana in 2016 and would aim to get another one on Saturday.

Prediction: Aduana Stars 2-0 Legon Cities

Legon Cities have shown that they are not ready yet to cause real problems to other teams. Aduana Stars should take this one fairly easily.

Asante Kotoko v Ebusua Dwarfs

Asante Kotoko will start serving their stadium ban against struggling side Ebusua Dwarfs. Maxwell Konadu looks to be under early pressure and his side have failed to match his feats during his previous spell at the club.

In the 2011/12 season, Kotoko only lost three games under Maxwell Konadu. His team has already lost two games after matchday 4 this season as the Kumasi based side now sit 9th on the table.

The Porcupine Warriors desperately need a boost at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Sunday and the upcoming clash against Dwarfs may provide it.

This season has been a real nightmare for Ebusua Dwarfs. On Wednesday, they fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to Liberty Professionals which meant four consecutive losses so far thise season.

After the game, head coach Assibu resigned from his post at the club. On Thursday, the Mysterious Dwarfs appointed Ernest Thompson Quartey to fill the vacant role.

Ernest now has to find ways to boost the confidence of his men and hope for a huge response against league giants Asante Kotoko.

In their last five meetings, Asante Kotoko have won three and lost one (W3 D1 L1). The hosts will go into this game with some hope of getting a result.

Prediction: Asante Kotoko 2-1 Ebusua Dwarfs

Dwarfs have simply not been good enough since the start of the season and are unlikely to cause major problems against the Porcupine Warriors.

Bechem United v Eleven Wonders

Bechem United have experienced a stop start to their campaign so far.

Seven points from a possible 12 may be a good tally but they are yet to achieve consecutive wins this campaign.

The Hunters were surprisingly held to a 2-2 draw by King Faisal, posing the question of whether they can challenge for a top four spot.

Kwaku Danso’s men will aim to get back to winning ways as they host Techiman Eleven Wonders in the Bono derby on Sunday.

Eleven Wonders started the campaign woefully but finally got what seems like a breakthrough in their previous game.

They recorded a shocking 1-0 win over 2017 Ghana Premier League winners Aduana Stars at home.

The Sure Wonders have the opportunity to convince their fans that their win against Aduana was not a fluke as they travel to Bechem Park on Saturday.

Eleven Wonders have been superior in their last five meetings with Bechem, winning three and losing one (W3 D1 L1).

The Sure Wonders produced a clinic in their last encounter, recording a comprehensive 3-0 away win over Bechem.

Prediction: Bechem United 0-0 Eleven Wonders

This one is tough to call. It will be hard to find a winner for this match. The two teams will share the spoils.

Dreams FC v Medeama SC

After comfortably winning their first two matches of the season, Dreams are going through somewhat a downward spiral.

They were held to a 0-0 draw by Legon Cities on match day 3. Coach Winfred Dormon stated he was unperturbed by the form of Berekum Chelsea before match day 4 but he was made to eat his words as his team lost to the giant slayers.

His team now rank 6th in the league and they now have to get their campaign back on track as they prepare to face another daunting challenge in Medeama.

Medeama is the dream of every other team in the league this season. The Mauve and Yellows have scored the most goals (8) and have the joint most points (10) placing them at the summit of the table.

They possess two potent finishers as well in Prince Opoku Agyemang (4) and super substitute Nana Kofi Babil (3), who have contributed 87.5% of the team’s goals combined.

The two forwards will aim to get on the score sheet and lead the team to its fourth victory of the season in Dawu.

Medeama have averaged 2 goals in their last three encounters with Dreams FC. They are yet to concede defeat to their upcoming opponents in the last three matches.  In their last showdown in Dawu, Medeama held Dreams to a 2-2 draw.

Prediction: Dreams 0-2 Medeama

Medeama will prove too tough to handle for Dreams. They will likely take all three points.

Elmina Sharks v Great Olympics

Elmina Sharks finally got their campaign running with an impressive 3-2 away win over Inter Allies.

They had been unsuccessful in their first three matches, losing one and sharing the spoils on two occasions.

Yaw Acheampong’s next objective will be to grab another win against a Great Olympics side who also recorded their first win of the season on matchday 4.

Great Olympics had a woeful start to the campaign but finally brought smiles to the fans after beating Karela 2-0 at the Accra Sports Stadium on Thursday.

Coach Prince Koffie admitted that it was not easy seeing his side lose three matches but found ways to guide his team to their first win. Oly Dade will now aim to cause an upset at the Ndoum Park on Sunday.

In their last two encounters, Great Olympics managed to pull off an impressive away win in one of the matches and drew in the other.

Prediction: Elmina Sharks 1-2 Great Olympics

Great Olympics are showing promise and have improved game by game. They should be able to take this one.

Inter Allies v WAFA

Inter Allies have become the most vulnerable side in the Ghana Premier League this season, shipping in a total of ten goals in four matches.

That is one more goal conceded than any other team on the table .

Wins have been hard to come by as a result. “Eleven is to one” have earned just one victory so far and are in the relegation zone (16th) as a result.

They will hope to put their failures against Elmina Sharks behind them and earn a win against WAFA.

WAFA have been lacking in the goal scoring department but are doing well overall when it comes to results. The Academy boys have scored only three goals in four games, the joint lowest in the league so far this season and have earned 8 points.

The Sogakope-based side are yet to concede a goal since the start of the season and will look to maintaining that record.

Inter Allies have been largely dominant against WAFA, winning three of their last five meetings (W3 D1 L1) and scoring seven goals in the process.

WAFA have been unsuccessful in their last three visits to Inter Allies and will look to overturn that.

Prediction: Inter Allies 0-1 WAFA

The Academy boys have impressed defensively and their pragmatic but efficient approach gives them the edge over Inter Allies. They will break their away curse in this game.

Karela United v King Faisal

Karela United have been a shadow of the team that gave clubs a run for their money in the NC Special Competition.

They have only earned 4 points so far this season and had a nightmare at the Accra Sports stadium after suffering a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Great Olympics.

Karela will hope to use their home advantage to earn a positive result against King Faisal, who recently earned their first point of the campaign.

King Faisal had a terrible start to the season with three losses on the trot but managed to take home a 2-2 draw against Bechem United on match day 4.

The Kumasi-based side have averaged a goal per game so far and their current 17th place on the log shows that there is still more room for improvement.

They will look to record their first three points of the season on Sunday.

The two teams will lock horns for the first time in any competition. It will be interesting to see who wins it.

Prediction: Karela United 2-0 King Faisal

King Faisal still have their struggles defensively and will fail to fend off the attacks of Karela.

Liberty Professionals v Hearts of Oak

Liberty Professionals have earned the least number of points among the unbeaten sides in the league so far.

They currently have six points, two less than any other unbeaten side in the competition.

David Ocloo’s men have shown gradual improvement in games and finally got a 2-1 away win over Ebusua Dwarfs after drawing three consecutive matches.

Liberty are currently in the top half of the table (8th). They will face Hearts of Oak on Sunday and will hope to get one over the Premier League giants who have also shown some improvement.

Hearts of Oak had a rough start to the campaign but a win over Ebusua Dwarfs on matchday 3 got their campaign running.

The Phobians also earned a point at Sogakope on matchday 4, a venue that had been their bane in the past.

The Accra based side are currently 12th on the table. Edward Nii Odoom should be happy with his team’s progress and will hope to lead them to their second win of the season in Dansoman.

Hearts of Oak have the psychological advantage going into this one.

They have avoided a loss against Liberty in their last five meetings (W2 D3). Hearts have also grabbed victories in their last two visits to Dansoman, scoring four goals in the process.

Prediction: Liberty 1-2 Hearts of Oak

The Phobians have shown signs of improvement and will turn that into their first away victory of the season.