Asante Kotoko will host Hearts of Oak at the Baba Yara Stadium in the first instalment of this season’s #SuperClash.

Unlike recent iterations of the fixture, there is everything to play for, for both sides.

Kotoko's November dross (four defeats and a draw), means coach prosper Ogum's job remains very much on the line. Ogum would however point to the league table, which will show that Kotoko are only five points from the top spot. If they can find consistency, there is no reason Kotoko cannot challenge for the league title. Standing in their way, aoart from their own shortfalls, are Hearts of Oak.

Coach Aboubakar Ouattara's Hearts have enjoyed a relatively better spell going into Sunday's affair.

The Phobians have won three out of their last four matches in an unbeaten spell. The only defeat in the last five was against Bibiani Gold Stars, the best team in the country according to the league table.

Yet, Ouattara, in many ways like Ogum, does not have complete job security.

For these and a million other reasons, either coach would attempt to find a needle in a haystack for a win on Sunday.

Star attractions
In terms of star attractions, you cannot look beyond Albert Amoah. Signed from Great Olympics in July, the striker has hit the ground running like few at Kotoko have. He has scored sixty percent of Kotoko's 10 goals in the league this season, and both goals were in the F. A Cup so far; a 2-0 win over Future Stars last week.

Albert Amoah was on target for Ghana against Togo on Wednesday

For all intents and purposes, Amoah is the club's best player.
On Wednesday, he extended his brilliance to the Black Stars B when he opened the scoring against Togo in a 2-0 win at the Stade de Kégué in Lome.

Albert Amoah produced two goals to take his season's tally to eight in all competitions, having scored six in the Ghana Premier League already.

Amoah has, by some distance, been Kotoko's best player this season, having scored six of their ten league goals, and now both of the club's goals in the FA Cup.

Amoah aside, there is another man for Hearts to worry about on Sunday; Kwame Poku.
The striker has rejoined Asante Kotoko, three years after leaving for pastures anew. After two failed stints in North Africa; first at USM Alger in Algeria before joining Moroccan outfit Olympique Khouribga, the striker is back in familiar territory.

No one knows in what state he returns as he has not played football since Olympique Khouribga's 3-0 win over Moghreb Tetouan on June 17, 2023. The club were subsequently relegated.
In all, Poku managed 153 minutes across six matches in the 2023 season without scoring.

In the 18 months that have followed, Poku has not kicked a ball. Since the beginning of November, he has been training with the Kotoko team. So it would be best to look at other areas for match-winning ability.

Emmanuel Antwi, maybe? Why not? His pass selection in Kotoko's build-up has been the difference on many occasions this season. Antwi, who earned a first Black Stars call-up in November, brings incisiveness to Kotoko's passing an invention and craft not seen at the club since Fabio Gama's exit in 2022.

Kotoko's potential weakness

ROYALS

Rahim Yaya Abdul 2-1 Legon Cities https://t.co/LODkqcOJOP pic.twitter.com/4vMt2MkMZX

— Felix Romark (@FelixRomark) October 30, 2024

Kotoko conceded a rather ''soft'' goal against Legon Cities to lose 2-1 in November
The main characteristics in Kotoko's rotten run of four defeats and a draw in November were the goalkeeping errors that led directly to goals. There were four of them; against Heart of Lions, Bechem United, and twice against Nations F.C.

Yet, Prosper Ogum kept faith with the Guinean goalkeeper who has since kept consecutive clean sheets against Aduana F.C and Future Stars (in the F.A Cup.)

While Kamara was justifiably criticized, his teammates unfairly escaped blame for their role in the club's dross.

Against Nations FC, Kassim Ocansey's men were allowed a free march through the park. As far as I can recall, the Trojan Horse might be the only time a battalion was allowed to approach unchallenged. But this was not Odysseus in the Sack of Troy. This was Oko-Grippman (signed in July from Olympics), Emmanuel Boahene, and Prince Badu.

Nafiu Sulemana's goal for Nations FC against Asante Kotoko pic.twitter.com/5OB0LaeD0l

— salim ismaila (@salimismaila1) November 17, 2024

That lack of protective cover and defensive disorganization will be Kotoko's biggest headache.

Hearts of Oak's strengths
In stark contrast to Kotoko, Hearts of Oak of Oak boasts one of the best defenses in the league. They have only conceded six goals in twelve matches in the league - only Nations F.C. and Heart of Lions (4 each) and Gold Stars (5) have conceded fewer. In terms of clean sheets, the Phobians are second to none, having kept seven clean sheets in twelve matches.

The protagonists for that run are not hard to find; Benjamin Asare and Kelvin Osei-Asibey.
Asare joined Hearts from Great Olympics in July after finishing the previous season with the most clean sheets - 17 (including the game RTU forfeited).

Eyes on the prize! Benjamin Asare keeps a close eye on events in the Phobians' 2-0 win over Medeama S.C in Tarkwa

There is an aura of invincibility he brings to the team. A feeling that you can take your best shot and Asare will not blink. His exploits are particularly important because Hearts are not a high-scoring team.

Unlike last season (when Richmond Ayi committed a goalkeeping error), Hearts are going to Kumasi with the best goalkeeper in the country.

Asare's second in command in the Hearts rear guard is Kelvin Osei Asibey. After making another error in the Phobians' 2-1 loss to Asante Kotoko in the President's Cup, the center-back started the season low in confidence.

Since then, he has grown in leaps and bounds, marshaling the defense with authority a la Marcus Agrippa in the Battle of Actium (31 B.C.)

Beyond the pair, Ouattara's conservative implementation of the 4-1-4-1 formation makes them a tough side to beat. They have consistently been unwilling to commit men forward, leaving their forwards often isolated and feeding on crumbs.

The other side of the coin is that Ouattara's conservativeness gives him an average of six, sometimes eight players to defend at each time.

Phobians shortcomings
Hearts of Oak's defensive strength is also why they suffer in attack. When in possession, the maximum number they commit forward is three; the full-back Rnasford Mensah or Yaya Adraman, and the midfielder and winger on the side where the attack is developing.

Otherwise, it is always a hopeful long ball in search of Hamza Issa or Hussein Mohammed.

Numbers aside, Hearts of Oak's inability to sustain attacks is worrying. Even for a defense as charitable as Kotoko's, they will not have to worry too much about Hearts of Oak's attack because there is none.

Match facts
Hearts of Oak are unbeaten in their last five away games - having amassed 11 points in a possible 15.
Hearts of Oak have scored only two first half goals in the league this season and have conceded the same number in the specified period.

The Phobians have not won a Premier League match away to Kotoko since 2015.
Hearts have only won one of their last six league meetings with Asante Kotoko.
Hearts have only scored 9 goals in the league, three fewer than matches played (12).

Kotoko’s Albert Amoah has scored six league goals in twelve appearances.
Asante Kotoko are yet to win a game in the Premier League win they concede in the first half this season.
Asante Kotoko are yet to score more than one goal in a match this season at home in the Premier League.
Kotoko have won just once in their last six matches in the league.
After going five consecutive league matches without a win (4 defeats and a draw), Kotoko have now won consecutive matches against Aduana Stars and Future Stars (in the F. A Cup).