Kotoko, AshantiGold ready for Africa campaign as both teams travel for first-leg

Published on: 08 August 2019

 

Ghana’s representatives in this year’ CAF inter club football competition, Asante Kotoko and AshantiGold will be in action this weekend as they take on their respective oppositions in the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup.

Asante Kotoko who are representing Ghana in the Champions League will begin their campaign with a game away to Kano Pillars of Nigeria in the first leg of the preliminaries while AshantiGold take on Akonangui club of Equatorial Guinea in the Confederation Cup.

Both teams have stepped up preparations ahead of their respective games this weekend. Kotoko drew against Ivorian club Societe Ominisports in their last preparatory game while AshantiGold also engaged some local clubs in preparatory games.

Asante Kotoko coach Kjetil Zachariassen has named an 18-man squad for the club's CAF Champions League game against Kano Pillars.

The Norwegian tactician, who arrived in Accra with 23 players for camping before Thursday's trip, dropped five players after three days of training in the capital.

Notable amongst the names dropped are veteran midfielder Jordan Opoku, returnee Augustine Okrah and Ghana U-23 goalkeeper Kwame Baah. The other two dropped are Martin Antwi and Emmanuel Agyeman Badu.

For AshantiGold this will be their first time in four years they are returning to Africa after winning the Ghana Premier League in the 2014/15 season.

AshantiGold coach Ricardo de Rocha also named an 18-man squad for his trip to Equatorial Guinea.

Former player of the club who was part of the squad to win the Ghana Premier League that season Fatau Dauda has wished the club well ahead of the campaign.

"I'm hoping Ashgold SC can go far in the CAF Confederation Cup to make Ghana proud”, he told the media.

Meanwhile, Asante Kotoko will be hoping to replicate their impressive run in the Confederation Cup last season where they made it into the group stage.

The Porcupine Warriors have set a target to reach the group stages of the Champions League this season.

Speaking ahead of the game, Kotoko coach KjetilZachariassen after his team’s last preparatory game stated his side is ready, “We are as ready as we can be at this stage. You can see that we have been training and today was another chance to play a match after the training. We tried to implement our systems and structures.

“I think today we were a little more off than on. There was so much distance between the players but that is adjustable. So, competitive wise the players are there.”

The two teams will play all their first leg away and play the return leg two weeks’ time at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium and the Len Clay Sports Stadium respectively.

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