Asante Kotoko coach Kjetil Zachariassen has picked his final squad of 18 players for Saturday’s Caf Champions League opener away to Nigeria’s Kano Pillars.
The Norwegian had to cut off five players from the 23 that had been training at the Accra Academy ports Complex since Monday.
Goalkeeper Kwame Baah; defender Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, as well as midfielders Jordan Opoku, Martin Antwi and Augustine Okrah, did not make the squad set to travel to northern Nigeria Thursday.
For his 18-man squad, coach Zachariassen settled on two goalkeepers, seven defenders, six midfielders and three strikers.
Goalkeeper Emmanuel Osei Kwame, who missed out on Kotoko’s Africa campaign last season, has worked his way up to earn a spot this time and would be deputizing first-choice and team captain Felix Annan for the visit to Kano. Same applies to known right-back Samuel Frimpong who has been curiously listed among midfielders.
As many as nine new signings – Empem Dacosta, Stephen Ayiku Tetteh, Patrick Yeboah, Alexis Didi Arnaud, Justice Blay, Matthew Kelvin Andoh, Godfred Asiamah, George Abege and Richard Arthur – made the cut.
Asante Kotoko aim to grind out a favourable result from this preliminary round first-leg match before welcoming Kano Pillars at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on August 25.
Below is the Kotoko squad:
