Hearts, Kotoko primed for win in unmissable MTN FA Cup final
History will be made on Sunday when the two greatest clubs in the country, Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko, go head to head in the MTN FA Cup final at the Tamale Sports Stadium.
The much anticipated match, dubbed "Unmissable" will renew the rivalry between the two famous teams in the country, having already played four times this term.
Hearts won twice before losing and drawing once in all four games this season, making this final a real test for both sides as each of them looks out for the bragging rights and the GH¢50,000 prize money.
The Phobians won 1-0 in the Premier League, followed by a 3-1 victory in a Ghana @ 60 match, with the Porcupine Warriors triumphing 4-1 on penalties in the President's Cup.
With Tamale hosting its first MTN FA Cup final in 60 years, both sides are bent on departing the Northern Regional capital as champions as the match climax the nation's football season.
The journey to the final of the competition began with Hearts eliminating Sporting Mirren, Kotoku Royals, Young Wise, Danbort FC and Wa All Stars while Kotoko beat BYFA, Proud United, Wassaman United, W.Nea Salamina and Medeama in the Round of 64, 32, 16, quarter finals and semi-finals respectively.
Despite being one of the sides to have won the competition most, Hearts are yet to clinch the title since it was re-introduced in 2011, and are keen to change that unimpressive record, which has also given their rivals, the bragging rights over them.
At least, Kotoko are heading into their fifth final on Sunday and have won once of the four previous attempts since 2011 .
Matches between the pair are always difficult to predict but the FA Cup records favour Kotoko as they have beaten Hearts on all the three times they have clashed in the finals in 1958, 1960 and 1990.
However, that could be the adrenalin that will push Hearts to end that heartbreak as they also seek to win the title for the first time in 17 years.
Sunday’s clash is also not just about the FA Cup. They both missed out on the Ghana Premier League title and both are desperate to claim a silverware to decorate their boardroom and, more importantly, appease their fans and make a return to Africa, where they feel they belong.
The Phobians are also keen on avenging their painful loss to Kotoko in the President's Cup this season and will be going all out on the day while the Porcupine Warriors target a good finish above their opponents after Hearts completed the league season above them.
Both coaches, Frank Nuttal of Hearts and Steven Pollack of Kotoko, are expecting an entertaining game between their sides as players such as Winful Cobinnah, Vincent Atinga, Thomas Abbey, Inusah Musah and Patrick Razak of the Phobians are expected to slug it out with Yakubu Mohammed, Amos Frimpong, Felix Annan, Obed Owusu, Sadiq Adams, Emmanuel Gyamfi, Eric Donkor and Baba Mahama of the Porcupine Warriors.