Kumasi Asante Kotoko will look forward to redeeming their image as they host Nigerian Professional Football League giants Kano Pillars on Sunday in the reverse fixture of the CAF Champions League preliminary stage in Kumasi.
Asante Kotoko fell to a 3-2 defeat in the hands of the Kano based side in the first leg at the Sani Abacha sports stadium and are poised to turn things around going into the second leg on Sunday.
A 36-man contingent of Kano Pillars arrived at the Kotoka International Airport on Friday morning around 9:20am and have presently landed in the Garden City where they will be based till the match day. The team visited the Mosque at Asawase, a suburb of Kumasi to pray for favour ahead of the crucial game. They will hold their first training session at the Opoku Ware (OWASS) school park on Friday evening.
The three times Nigerian premier league winners will hold their CAF required mandatory training at the Baba Yara sports stadium on Saturday at 3:00pm.
The hosts Asante Kotoko have been preparing strongly ahead of the ‘kill or be killed’ encounter and have moved to residential camp with 26 players. Coach Kjetil Zachariassen’s 26 chosen battle men have been given a day off on Friday and will resume training at the Baba Yara sports stadium on Saturday in the morning before Kano Pillars train in the afternoon.
Referees for the blockbuster game, all of whom are from Benin arrived in Accra on Friday afternoon. In accordance with their travel arrangements, referee Djindo Louis Houngnande and his compatriots Gbemassiadan Narcecce Kouton, Eric Anyimavk Ulrich, Alfadel Adegnika will arrive in Kumasi after 4pm.
The match Commissioner, Andy Qouamie from Liberia is expected to touch down in the nation’s capital Accra by 4:30pm and would be led to Kumasi later in the evening by Asante Kotoko Deputy Accra Representative and Head of Protocol for the match, Nana Kwame Dankwah.
The big game comes off on Sunday, August 22, 2019 at 3:00pm at the Baba Yara sports stadium.
