Hearts of Oak have received the needed support and confidence from former players and administrators going into their CAF Confederation Cup game against AS Bamako of Mali on Sunday October 16, 2022.
The Ghanaian reigning MTN FA Cup champions suffered a 3-0 defeat to the Malian side in the first leg and must overturn the result with at least four goals to have a chance of progressing to the next round of the competition.
Hearts of Oak apologised to its supporters after the defeat and have vowed to make their supporters proud.
Meanwhile, Hearts of Oak interim coach, David Ocloo is confident his side can cause an upset and beat the Malians to qualify.
“This is a no-match. I can confidently say we can turn this around. We played well. We created a lot of chances but we were not clinical. We are going to right the wrongs. They are beatable.”, he said.
Deputy captain Mohammed Alhassan speaking to the media ahead of the game said, “I will say, looking at how training is going, we are well prepared and focused towards the match we will be playing on Sunday.
“When we came back, we sat down and talked to ourselves that, going into that match, we need to prepare more than hundred percent,” Mohammed Alhassan told Radio Gold.
He noted that his mates are very much prepared to face Real Bamako and will give off a tough fight to win and progress.
“We are willing to work hard so that we will be able to qualify, and looking at what is going on in training, we are very much prepared.
“Everyone is at his peak; we are all fighting, it’s not going to be an easy task, but with determination, hard work, we are going to put in every effort to qualify for our darling club.” Mohammed Alhassan said.
Hearts of Oak legends, Daniel Quaye and Bernard Don Bortey have also urged the players to overcome the hurdle.
“Hearts of Oak will qualify against Bamako if the managers of the club give me the opportunity to speak to the players ahead of the game,” Bortey told Asempa FM.
Dan Quaye also urged the management to motivate the players, “for now, all hope looks lost, and the best the players can do for themselves is psych their minds and be motivated mentally because these are the same players who were defeated in the first leg. I know the management of the club would also play their part for these players to be motivated.”
Former Hearts of Oak Chief Executive Officer, Harry Zakour called for unity ahead of this crucial game and urged the fans to be ready for any outcome.
“We have to work hard. You know unity is the best in everything if we don’t have unity everything will not work so let’s pray to God that everything will go well on the 16th. And if it doesn’t go well that’s not the end of Accra Hearts of Oak; we will still build a team. They should work hard and win the league,” Harry Zakour said.
The Phobians are hoping to repeat the 2006 CAF Champions League game against St.George of Ethiopia where they overturned a 4-0 defeat in the first leg to qualify ahead of their opponents.
The winner of the tie will move to the play-off round where they will face one of the 16 losers from the CAF Champions League second round.
