Asante Kotoko have arrived in Congo ahead of their 2018 Caf Confederation Cup preliminary round reverse game against Cara Brazzaville.
The Porcupines squad and staff numbering 30 received a warm reception after touching down at Maya-Maya Airport around 19:17 Monday night by Ghana’s Ambassador, HE Attah Boafo.
The Kotoko contingent, after arrival formalities, checked into the luxury Hotel Olympic Palace, located right in the centre of Brazzaville. The hotel is close to all the key cultural attractions as well as the business and administrative buildings and is just 10 minutes’ drive from the airport.
Kotoko will train at the match venue, the 33,000-capacity Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat as stipulated in the Caf regulations for one hour on Tuesday afternoon.
The decider
Kotoko go into Wednesday’s return leg with a lone goal victory from the first leg played in Kumasi.
In a game that saw Kotoko miss three penalties, before converting the fourth, Head Coach Steven Pollack has downplayed the effect of the first leg trauma coming back to haunt them for the return.
“What happened in Kumasi must not repeat itself so we have corrected our mistakes in all aspects especially the art of taking and scoring penalties.
“It was a good thing we won the first leg. Now we know who are opponents are and what they can do; that makes it easier to plan, unlike the first leg. We are not taking chances. We are going all out on Wednesday to make sure that we gain qualification to the next stage of the competition,” Pollack told the media.
Kotoko last won a continental competition in 1983 and after two failed attempts in continental football in the last two seasons, the Porcupine Warriors hope they can ride on the win in the first leg to dump CARA, a familiar foe in the Ghanaian side’s history.
The nine-time Congolese champions, who are aiming to reassert themselves in Africa after being kicked out of the competition at the first round and preliminary stages in 2014 and 2015 respectively, were eliminated by Kotoko in 1976 when they clashed in the Round of 16 of the African Club of Champions Clubs (now CAF Champions League) with the Ghanaians qualifying on the away goal’s rule after a 2-2 aggregate score.
In 1983, Kotoko beat the Congolese side 4-3 on aggregate en route to their second African Cup glory.
And 35 years on, the two sides clash again with Kotoko hoping to maintain their dominance over the 1974 African champions.
Kotoko squad
Goalkeepers
Felix Annan, Ibrahim Danlad
Defenders
Amos Frimpong, Eric Donkor,Wahab Adams Nafiu Awudu, Augustine Sefa,. Emmanuel Owusu
Midfielders
Jackson Owusu, Edwin Tuffour Frimpong, Jordan Opoku, Baba Mahama, Emmanuel Gyamfi, Kwame Boahene, Frank Sarfo Gyamfi
Strikers
Sadick Adams, Yakubu Mohammed, Obed Owusu
NB: Portions culled from Caf online
