Having failed to nail a place at the league stage of the CAF Champions League competition, Ghana’s Asante Kotoko will engage Ivorian Premier League side, San Pedro at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium tomorrow in a play-off to the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup competition.
Kotoko are playing at this stage of the competition after losing 3-2 on aggregate to Tunisian outfit, Etoile du Sahel at the elite category.
They will need a win over San Pedro to continue their quest to rule Africa again by qualifying for the league stage.
It has been described in some quarters as a kind draw for the Porcupine Warriors who were tipped to scale the Sahel challenge after recording a 2-0 victory at home.
But San Pedro will not be pushovers for the Ghanaians as they aim to push the Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire soccer rivalry to a notch higher.
San Pedro is a young side formed in 2004 but has emerged as one of the formidable sides in the Ivorian league. Currently, they lie third in the Premier League ahead of established sides like ASEC Mimosas, Africa Sports Nationale and Bouake FC.
They accounted for Santoba FC at the last stage of the Confederation Cup tourney and are set to upset the Ghanaians to qualify to the league stage.
That suggests that Kotoko will be involved in another tough encounter which they must strive to win handsomely to avoid the Sahel situation.
Gladly, the return of about four players from the Black Stars B team will strengthen them and give their Head Coach a lot of choices to choose from as they attempt to restore some smile on the faces of their fans.
BY ANDREW NORTEY
