Broken Hearts
After three be-patient and get-behind-the-team press releases and a million other radio interviews, it is time for Aboubakar Ouattara to earn that faith. He needs to shift the paradigm for that to happen.

In the defeats to Holy Stars and Hearts of Lions, Hearts looked pretty bland in attack. One of the noticeable flaws was the distinct lack of creativity from central and wide areas.

The creative responsibility from wide areas fell to left-back Ransford Mensah and right-back Yahaya Adramani. Between the two of them, they produced as much as the sapphire mines in Devego, Volta Region.

New Hearts signing Ransford Mensah has struggled, along with the rest of the team

Meanwhile, Hearts had Martin Karikari on the bench for both games. That needs to change. Ouattara needs to figure out a game plan that can accommodate him and Hussein Mohammed. On the few occasions when they have been on the pitch together, their ability to tuck in-field and occupy the half spaces allows the full-backs to overlap and stretch the opponent's defense.

Unfortunately for Hearts, Ouattara has not persisted with this long enough for us to see how much value there is in that tweak. Regardless, there can be no strategy that will require skillsets Karikari and Hussein cannot provide. Starting them should be a no-brainer.

Whatever magic they can create, they need to be on the ball often enough to be able to influence the match. That means Hearts need to play on the front foot and much higher up the pitch. It is not only because of its attacking benefits.

For a team with a poor defense, their willingness to sit deep and invite pressure against Heart of Lions was puzzling. Until the individual elements demonstrate a capacity to defend well, do not ask them to defend the penalty box.
It is that simple.

New look Bechem United

Bechem United fans were there in their numbers when they hosted Aduana Stars last Sunday

One distinguishable feature of Sunday's contest is the absence of Clinton Doudo. The 19-year-old has moved on to pastures anew after signing a three-year deal with Apollon Limassol in Cyprus.

He is not the only high-profile absentee. Center-back Samuel Osei Kuffour joined Nations FC before the start of the season, following a brief stint with Portuguese outfit FC Felgueiras. Hafiz Konkoni Wontah has also joined Ethiopian Coffee.

In the dugout, Kwaku Danso is the new man in charge. But there are still some familiar faces.

Defender Charles Owusu should return to the team after serving his suspension last week.
Beyond the steel Owusu brings, Francis Twene's presence in midfield should ensure some continuity to what is, in truth, a new project.

If Bechem are to get anything from this match, they need to be able to retain possession for longer spells than they normally do in away games. This is where Twene's distribution and ability to retain possession under pressure will particularly be important.

Twene's invention and craft will be for nothing if Bechem makes it all about him. That is where Isaac Dyarko and Yeboah Darling can be influential.

The pair showed flashes of brilliance in the GHALCA tournament in preseason. Together with Francis Twene, the trident represents Bechem's fastest and most potent route to goal. Between them, they offer control, pace, and creativity.

Bechem United's midfield anchor, Francis Twene

Goals?

There are always many in this fixture. Their last four meetings have produced ten goals. Before the ten recorded in the last four, there were three in Hearts of Oak's 2-1 win in the FA Cup final two years ago.
So there are bound to be goals and Bechem will almost certainly get one of those. When, not if, they do, chances are that Augustine Okrah will be involved.

In 75 minutes against Aduana Stars, the mercurial winger showed signs of his old self.

The thirty-year-old's unique set of skills makes him a good fit for different game strategies.
Defeat on Sunday would be the visitor's third consecutive matchday three loss on the road.

Last season, they suffered a chastening 4-1 loss to eventual champions Samartex in Samreboi. That result was preceded by a more respectable 1-0 loss to Gold Stars in Bibiani the previous season.

No matter how much faith the Hearts board says they have in Ouattara, their patience grows thin with each passing game.

Prediction
Hearts of Oak (Martin Karikari)1-1 Bechem United (Augustine Okrah)