Aduana to knock Hearts off the top?
In-form Aduana Stars, led in attack by predatory striker Yahaya Mohammed, will seek to maintain their winning form at home in a bold attempt to knock Accra Hearts of Oak off their perch when the two sides clash at Dormaa-Ahenkro in the weekend’s Premier League top fixture.
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Last Wednesday, Aduana won their fifth consecutive match to leapfrog Wa All Stars into the second spot on the log and they trail league leaders Hearts by two points, which gives the home side motivation to defeat the Phobians and jump to the summit for the first time this season.
The Phobians, who defeated Sekondi Hasaacas 1-0 before an empty Accra Sports Stadium two days ago, will also attempt to halt Aduana’s five-game winning run and also break their aura of invincibility at the Nana Agyemang Badu Park, which is turning into a slippery ground for visiting teams.
Sunday’s fixture also pits Hearts’ Kenichi Yatsuhashi against Aduana’s Aristica Cioaba, the two expatriate coaches credited for turning their teams’ fortunes around.
Hearts midfielder Mustapha Essuman has issued a rallying cry to their fans to storm Dormaa-Ahenkro to throw their weight behind their club.
"We always hear them shouting and it encourages us," Essuman told the official Hearts Audioboom channel.
"They should come in their numbers because we miss them and Aduana is a tight ground. They should always expect a win because we always do well in away matches. It won't be easy but we are going to meet their expectations."
Interestingly, the Phobians are the best travellers in the league (amassing 11 points out of a possible 15), while Cioaba's resurgent side have picked up maximum points in their last five games.
Aduana lost their opening three games which cost former trainer Nurudeen Amadu his job, but the arrival of the Romanian trainer turned the team’s fortunes around, and their excellent form in recent weeks has been powered by goals from in-form striker Mohammed, who leads the goal-king race with nine goals.
Elsewhere, fourth-placed Kumasi Asante Kotoko will be confident of climbing further up the table with victory over second-from-bottom Inter Allies at the Baba Yara Stadium, while third-placed Wa All Stars will be hoping to halt their slide down the table when they play defending champions Ashantigold.
In other fixtures, WAFA host Techiman City at the Sogakope Park, Berekum Chelsea play Bechem United at the Golden City Park, Sekondi Hasaacas play bottom club Ebusua Dwarfs at Essipon, Liberty Professionals lock horns with New Edubiase United at the Carl Reindorf Park at Dansoman, and Dreams FC play Medeama SC at the Dawu Park.