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Accra Hearts of Oak will return to the pitch on Friday in search of their first victory of the 2020/21 season when they host League leaders Karela United Football Club at the Accra Stadium.
Hearts enters Friday’s game with a new coach following the dismissal of Edward Nii Odoom.
Serbian coach Kostadin Papic was confirmed Tuesday as the Phobians’ new head coach to replace Edward Nii Odoom, who led them to two games against AshantiGold and Inter Allies.
Hearts of Oak is two games without a win and sits at the bottom of the League table with one point with a game in hand (against the stars of Aduana). Twice they blew their lead to draw 2-2 with AshantiGold in their first game of the season before losing to Inter Allies FC in their second game with a 1-0 loss.
Kostadin is returning to the club after a 12-year hiatus and is expected to make an instant impression following his disappointing start to the season.
The former Enugu Rangers coach was in charge of the Phobians from July 2008 to June 2009. His immediate task will be to restore confidence in the club, work on the wastage of the forward in front of goal and bring success to the club in all competitions.
Kojo Obeng Junior grabbed a double against AshantiGold but failed to score against Inter Allies despite creating numerous scoring chances. Papic asks for patience due to the high expectations of the fans as he begins his second term with the club.
Karela United FC oozes confidence going into the game. They currently lead the table with 7 points and remain one of the undefeated teams in the League after the third day they drew one and won two games.
Karela started the day with a draw (2-2) against AshantiGold in Obuasi. They beat Inter Allies by a goal to nil before making an incredible comeback to win 2-1 against Dreams FC on Sunday.
Karela United aim to consolidate their top spot by maintaining their momentum away from home after making the most of their two home games.
They reinforced their squad with Yaw Ansah Foforo, Kamaradini Mamudu and Osman Bashiru. The trio have injected quality into the wing and it is no wonder to see them perform this way in the early stages of the season. Diawusie Taylor and Franklin Osei have each scored two goals, giving opponents a lot to worry about.
Captain Godfred Yeboah and Kwadwo Addai have played very well in central defense. Former Wa All Stars midfielder Sidiq Alhassan is back in top form and available for selection. The Premier League winner missed the first two games of the season, but was part of the team of the day of Sunday’s game against Dreams FC.
Recent encounters between the two teams have produced four goals with Karela United winning 3-1 in Ainyinase in April 2018 and recording a goalless draw against Hearts of Oak in February 2010 at the Accra sports stadium.
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