AshantiGold eyes continental football, as they battle Nzema Kotoko

GNA – Ashanti Gold will lock horns with Division One side Nzema Kotoko in the finals of the Normalisation Committee (NC) Special Competition Tier Two at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium on Sunday.

The winner of the Tier Two would represent Ghana in the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Confederation Cup next season.

The two teams have never met in any competitive match under the Ghana Football Association.

AshantiGold defeated their regional rivals Asante Kotoko 3-1 at the Accra Sports Stadium, on their way to the finals whilst Nzema Kotoko beat their Division One counterpart UniStars to qualify.

Ashgold would be heading into the game as the favourites knowing in mind that only a win can book their ticket to next season CAF confederation Cup, after being absent from Africa competitions since 2016.

The Miners, suffered a disappointed home defeat in the last time they played Anyinase based club, as Karela United eliminated them from the Tier Two semi-finals earlier this month.

All odds favour the Obuasi based club as Coach Kjetil Zachariassen has a strong squad in all departments on the field as compared to their opponents.

Captain Mumuni Shafiu, a two-goal hero in the semi-final would be leading the attack with workaholic midfielder Appiah McCarthy in the midfield and Richard Agyemang spearheading the defence.

Elsewhere, Nzema Kotoko would be going into the game as an underdog but may aim for a historical achievement as they would be chasing their first major trophy in the history of the young club.

The Division one side’s memorable moment in the tournament came in, as they defeated their arch-rivals Karela United at the Anyinase CAM Park in the quarter finals of the Tier Two to end the Tier One finalist’s 40 matches unbeaten home run.

Nzema Kotoko players may not meet the qualities of Ashgold players but they have equally good players who can torment any defence with the likes of Francis Atitsogo and Agyenum Boateng who pushed the Nzema based club to the finals of the competition.

Both teams would go into the game with a full confidence to win but the six-time Ghana Premiere League champions, Ashgold, would defeat the Division One side as they don’t have what it takes to even push the games to penalty shootout.

GNA