Hearts of Oak coach Nebojša Kapor has warned his players against underestimating Basake Holy Stars as they seek a third consecutive victory in the Ghana Premier League.

The Phobians will host fifth-placed Holy Stars at the University of Ghana Stadium on Friday, 23 October, in a Matchday Eight fixture scheduled to kick off at 17:00 GMT.

Hearts head into the encounter on the back of successive 1-0 victories over Vision FC and Port City, results that have lifted them to second place in the league standings.

They are level on points with leaders Medeama SC, while Samartex FC occupy third place, leaving the race at the top finely poised.

However, Kapor has urged his players to approach the contest with caution, insisting that Holy Stars have demonstrated enough quality to pose a serious challenge.

“Basake won games at home and collected a good number of points. So far, they did well, and we are approaching them as a very strong opponent. We are not going to think this game will be easy, never,” he said.

The Hearts coach stressed that the team must maintain the right mentality and avoid assuming they are favourites simply because of their position in the standings.

“Every game here is very difficult, especially from a mentality side; we have to face this game very tough. We are not going to say we are the better team and we will win. No, we are really going to approach them very deeply from every department, from every single player, and like this we will create awareness and good and quality tactics for this game,” Kapor added.

Kapor also admitted that the change in the fixture schedule had slightly disrupted his side’s preparations, as they had initially expected the match to be played on Sunday.

Despite the reduced preparation time, he remains confident that his players can make the necessary tactical adjustments before Friday’s encounter.

“A little surprise came because we expected this game to be on Sunday, but we got information that they are moving the game to Friday. So that is making a little short time for us, but also enough tactical sessions, and I’m sure we will prepare for this game nicely and put on a serious performance from our last game,” he said.

Hearts will be keen to maintain their recent momentum and strengthen their position near the top of the table, while Holy Stars will be looking to frustrate the hosts and continue their positive start to the campaign.