Uncertain relegation battles ahead …As Oly, Faisal, Tamale City, 4 others scuffle for survival

The 2022/23 betPawa Premier League is set to record the fiercest relegation dogfight in the competi­tion’s history.

Ahead of the match day 30 round of fixtures, clubs from the seventh position on the league table remain uncertain about their status for next season.

Kotoku Royals lie bottom with 23 points and is considered a candidate for demotion but same story cannot be told of ninth placed Samartex with 39 points to the last but one on the table, Great Olympics with 35 points.

The ninth to 17th positions are separated by just four points; a situation that looks quite dicey for clubs in that region.

Match day 30 appear to be the round to fire the starter’s gun for those in that group as it pitches the relegation threat­ened sides against each other in games to define their fate.

That takes the attention to Sogakope and Tamale where Accra Great Olympics face Kotoku Roy­als and Tamale City engaging King Faisal.

These are games which outcomes could either boost or undermine the effort to avoid the drop.

Olympics started the season among the elites, shuffling the top four positions week in and out.

That seemed to have gotten them complacent and have failed to stop the free fall and currently occupy a dangerous position that is threatening their status as an elite side.

The drop in standards was put at the doorstep of then Head Coach, Yaw Preko, but his sack has not halted the trend.

What makes their situation more difficult and quite intriguing is the failure to bang in the goals, even at home. As for wins away from home, the least discussed about it, the better. No wonder they have a goal deficit of minus nine. That makes to­morrow’s encounter a do-or-die task for the Wonder Club.

Despite their position at the bottom, Kotoku Royals are still putting up some im­pres­sive perfor­mances and will be at their stubborn best against the Wonder Club.

At home last week­end, they proved a stub­born nut to crack when they en­gaged leaders Adua­na Stars who they shared the spoils with.

A repeat of that spirited perfor­mance will put Olympics under immense pressure, knowing what a failure to amass all three points could spell doom for their quest for survival.

But after beating Kotoko to record their first win at the adopted home ground at Sogakope, confi­dence is beaming again among the Olympics faithful and that could spur them on to go for a win and hope it does not go well with their competitors.

The story would be same with Tamale City who welcome King Faisal to the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium for that all important clash.

Both sides have improved in recent games and have chalked a few wins to bet­ter their lots on the table but would have to do better if they want to escape.

At home, Tamale City are clear favourites but if the performance Faisal produced in Accra on their last visit against Hearts of Oak was anything to go by, then the host would be in a real battle for their lives.

Legon Cities would also have another attempt to climb the table when they lock horns with Nsoatre­man at the Elwak Sports Stadium.

Just like the previous teams, Cit­ies have upped their game and have won a few points at venues much unexpected of them with midfield­er Michel Otou dominating games for them.

Nsoatreman are yet to make a strong case for themselves outside their comfortable home ground and this is something that could work against them.

Cities have made the Elwak ground a very formi­dable fortress with very few teams leaving with anything.

Once again, Otuo is expected to marshal the midfield and supply the needed balls to Kofi Kordzi and others to bang in the goals to grab all three points to lift themselves up the table.

Dreams FC and Real Tamale United are also not completely out of the storm and would therefore produce another impressive perfor­mance when they lock horns at the Aliu Mahama Stadium tomorrow.

Medeama SC and Bechem United would also clash in a tricky dwell at Tarkwa with both focused on consolidating their gains at the upper parts of the table.

At Samreboi, Hearts of Oak would play as guests of Samartex tomorrow just as Asante Kotoko oblige Gold Stars to the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in a clash they hope to use to redeem their image, hav­ing dropped points in their previous games.

At Berekum, Chelsea will host Accra Lions while Aduana Stars look set to sink Karela United when they clash at Dormaa.

BY ANDREW NORTEY

Samuel Ashie Quaye — Olympics

Michel Otou — Legon Cities

Richard Boadu — Kotoko

Baba Yahaya — King Faisal