Asante Kotoko head coach Karim Zito says he feels vindicated after his earlier concerns about the team’s pre-season preparation, as the Porcupine Warriors gear up for a crucial Match week 9 Super Clash against arch-rivals Hearts of Oak this weekend.
Kotoko have endured a mixed start to the 2025/26 Ghana Premier League season, collecting 11 points and sitting 8th on the table though they have three outstanding games to play.
In contrast, Hearts of Oak have been in solid form, recording two wins and three draws in their last five matches to climb to 4th place with 16 points.
The form guide adds extra intrigue to this weekend’s showdown, with both sides looking to assert dominance in Ghana’s biggest fixture.
Speaking on his team’s performance, Zito blamed Kotoko’s sluggish start on poor scheduling and inadequate rest before the season began.
The timing was very bad for Kotoko. I’m vindicated now. Just as I said, the timing was not conducive for Kotoko. We started pre-season late due to the subsequent matches ahead of us in South Africa, so you could see that we didn’t even rest after the league, which is very, very bad
He added that the team’s early struggles were expected, given the demanding schedule, but insists Kotoko will approach the Super Clash with a winning mindset.
I said it that I wasn’t expecting my team to play well during that competition. I’m now vindicated; people have seen exactly what I said. But that’s the technical side of it. When it comes to supporters, they don’t care you just have to win. We’re going to Accra with the mindset of beating them
This will be the first Super Clash of the 2025/26 Ghana Premier League season. Hearts of Oak head into the fixture with a mixed record at home five losses, four draws, and three wins in their last 12 meetings with Kotoko.
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