Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos and his technical team will have to sit down and ponder before deciding on who will lead the line of attack as they await a double-header against a tricky yet understrength Congo Brazzaville side in two weeks.
Bafana will resume their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers when they first host Congo at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha next Friday, October 11, before travelling to central Africa four days later.
Bafana are currently in second position with four points on the Group K table behind Uganda, while Congo is right on their heels in third position with three points after two games.
Despite South Africa not losing any of their two opening games against Uganda and South Sudan, Bafana will somewhat be under pressure to win the matches against Congo to increase their chances of qualifying for the upcoming Afcon in Morocco next year.
With the return of captain and Ballon d’Or nominee Ronwen Williams set to be a massive boost going into these two games as far as the defence is concerned, Broos also has a headache with his benched Mamelodi Sundowns stars Teboho Mokoena and Khuliso “Sailor” Mudau.
The two key players have not played in the club’s last three matches since they were put on the back burner by coach Manqoba Mngqithi.
The Sundowns coach felt that Mokoena and Mudau have not been contributing to the team as expected of them, and it will be tricky as to how Broos will handle the situation when they arrive in camp.
Broos will also be relying heavily on his strikers to step up to the challenge and start scoring goals.
In the past two matches, in the absence of goals from the striking department, Orlando Pirates midfielder and debutant Thalente Mbatha pulled through for the team with his stoppage-time goals that salvaged Bafana crucial points to keep their Afcon qualifying hopes intact.
Out of the five goals scored, the striking department only managed one goal, which came from Burnley star Lyle Foster in the 2-2 draw against Uganda at Orlando Stadium.
Broos currently has 33 names on his preliminary squad list and will be expected to trim it in the coming days.
Given Bafana’s recent struggles in front of goals from the strikers, Broos will have a headache in selecting the right man to lead his line of attack alongside Foster.
The inclusion of last season’s top goal scorer, Tshegofatso Mabasa, is a testament that Broos is in desperate need of a goalpoacher, and the Pirates talisman could be the go-to guy.
Al Ahly’s Percy Tau also returns to the preliminary squad after missing out last time.
