As the clock ticks down to the friendly match between visitors Banyana Banyana and hosts the Netherlands at The Hague, SA midfielder Bambanani Mbane says the girls must go into the encounter with a positive frame of mind.
Banyana coach Desiree Ellis is using the friendly as one of dress rehearsals for the forthcoming Women’s African Cup of Nations (Awcon) finals tournament to be held in Morocco from July 2-23.
The tournament also doubles as the African qualifiers for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
“We have to be strong, mentally, it’s not going to be easy. The Netherlands are one of the best teams. We all have the same mentality. It will help us a lot to gauge ourselves before we go to Awcon,” said Mbane, speaking to Safa Media.
“It won’t be easy. I’m happy with the way that the team has been performing. We still need to fix some areas of our game and will learn a lot from it. It’s exciting to see everyone looking forward to the game.”
