Asante Kotoko interim coach Hamza Obeng says his side are ready to take control when they host Ghana Premier League leaders Medeama on Sunday.
The Matchday 9 fixture at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi kicks off at 15:00 GMT, with Medeama top of the table on 17 points and Kotoko eighth on 12 points.
Kotoko go into the game under scrutiny following a spell of inconsistent form, but Obeng insists his players are well prepared for the test.
"Positively, we are well prepared and the boys are also ready for the game," Obeng told club media on Thursday. "We are working on our strengths to have total control from the start to the final whistle."
When asked about his side's mixed results, Obeng was candid about the need for improvement.
"It's very true we don't have consistency in our play, and we have devised a plan to take all three points in the game," he said.
Medeama arrive in Kumasi with the league's most potent attack, led by experienced forwards Kingsley Braye and Emmanuel Annor. However, Obeng noted that his technical team has spent the week preparing a tactical plan to exploit the visitors' vulnerabilities while building on Kotoko's own strengths.
Kotoko will be without six players for the encounter. Patrick Asiedu is suspended, while Emmanuel Antwi, Koffi Bini, Abdoul Kader, Ibrahim Danlad and Amoh Philip are also sidelined due to injuries.
Midfielder Hubert Gyau said the squad is determined to avoid a repeat of last season's meeting, when the Porcupine Warriors conceded twice in the opening half against the Tarkwa-based side.
"Though this is a tough fixture, we're not going to commit the mistakes we did last season when we conceded two first-half goals against them," Gyau said. "We've talked to each other and we believe we can play with full energy throughout the 90 minutes to claim the maximum points."
Recent head-to-head records underline how tight this fixture has been. In the last 10 league meetings, Kotoko have won four and Medeama three, with three draws. Last season, Medeama thrashed Kotoko 4-0 in Tarkwa before a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture at Baba Yara.
The two sides enter Sunday's clash in contrasting form. Medeama have won four of their last five matches—recording 1-0 victories over Aduana FC, Debibi United and Port City FC alongside a 3-1 win against Heart of Lions—with their only setback coming in a 2-1 defeat to Samartex. Kotoko's last five outings have yielded two wins, two defeats and a draw, having beaten Young Apostles 2-1 and Karela United 1-0 at home, drawn 1-1 away at AshantiGold, and suffered a 1-0 away loss to Swedru All Blacks as well as a 2-0 home defeat to Aduana FC.
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