Preview Conf Cup: Petro Athletico take on Dwarfs

By Thomas Freeman Yeboah
Ebusua Dwarfs will be hosted by Petro Athletico in the 50,000 capacity Estadio 11 de Novembro Luanda, Angola on Sunday in the CAF Confederations Cup.

Dwarfs enter into the second leg with 2-0 advantage despite having a torrid domestic season in the Ghana premier league. They are now carrying all the other 15 clubs in the Ghana premier but have two outstanding matches to clear.

Petro Athletico on the other hand are also not doing well in their domestic league and are lying 11th with only two games played.

Match facts
Head to head
-The first time both sides met was the first leg which Dwarfs won 2-0 in Ghana

-Petro Luanda eliminated Hearts of Oak in 1991 which resulted in the infamous Angolan bed sheet saga on the part of Hearts of Oak and also knocked out Berekum Arsenal in 2006.

- Clubs in Ghana have made 8 trips to Angola and they have are yet to secure a win: drawing 3 and losing.

-In the 8 different home and away clashes between Ghanaian clubs and Angolan clubs, clubs from Ghana have knocked out their opponents from Angola on 5 occasion, but succumbing in three occasions. However Petro Athletico is yet to be knocked bya Ghanaian clun

-Ghanaian clubs have met Angolan clubs on 17 occasions and they have won 7 drawn 5 and lost 5.

Team facts: Petro Atlético de Luanda
1. Atlético Petróleos de Luanda, best known as Petro Atlético de Luanda, or simply Petro Atlético is a traditional football club from Luanda, Angola.

2. The club was founded in 1980, and won its first title, the Angolan League in 1982.

3. Petro Atletico is the most successful football club in Angola, with 15 league titles, 10 Angolan cup titles and 5 Super Cups.

4. They have vast experience on the African continent having played 26 times in African club competitions; with their best finish being the last 4 in 2001.

5. They are managed by a Brazilian tactician Alexandre Grasseli.

6. The Angolan giant secured a qualification to this stage by beating African Stars of Namibia 3-2 on agreagate, having won the first leg 3-0 and losing the 2nd leg 2-0 away.

7. Petro have a former Wa All Stars and Asante Kotoko striker Ben Acheampong.

Match facts: Ebusua Dwarfs
1. Ebusua Dwarfs was founded in 1939
2. They were the third Ghanaian side after Real Republicans and Asante Kotoko to play in Africa, which was in 1968.

3. The best performance of Dwarfs in Africa is semi finals in 2000 in the CAF Cup.

4. The Cape Coast based club has won the league once in 1966. This was a controversial league, because the 1966 league was abandoned due to coup detat, but in 1968 a knockout was organized to determine the winner of the 1966 league and it was Dwarfs who topped them all.

5. Dwarfs finished fourth on the league table last season, but they are currently laying in the relegation zone with 4 wins, 5 draws and 9 wins, having lost 2 of their last three games.

6. Dwarfs qualified from the preliminary stage 1-0 on aggregate ahead of the Seanegalese giant Jaaraf.