Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane will be hoping to build on their 2-1 win over Guinea in the crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers when they entertain Eritrea on Wednesday night.
The game is scheduled to get underway at 6pm (SA time) at the Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo, Egypt. The Eritreans are hosting their qualifying match in Egypt due to not having a CAF-accredited venue in their country.
Bafana are currently on top of their Group D with three points, while Eritrea is tied on one point following their 1-1 draw against Kenya. Guinea are bottom with nothing to show so far on the table. The latter host Kenya on Thursday.
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Bafana will be outright favourites to win the game, but Mosimane has warned about undermining their opponents and being complacent on the day.
“I am happy with the result we got [against Guinea at the Orlando Stadium]; we got the result, and even the attitude was good,” Mosimane said during a press conference in Cairo on Tuesday.
“We need to show the same attitude against Eritrea because you can’t give respect to Guinea and not accord the same to an Eritrea side that just claimed a point away from home in Kenya.”
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Bafana goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams echoed Mosimane and said the team will continue to work hard and give their all against the East Africans.
“The spirit and the energy amongst ourselves are always good, and we have maintained that,” Williams said.
“The guys have been open to all the changes that the coach has implemented, and one way to see that is through the tactical agreements we had in the previous game, to see some of the things we worked on in training ahead of the game,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mosimane will be without key players Aubrey Modiba and Teboho Mokoena, with the Mamelodi Sundowns duo picking up injuries in the previous game against Guinea.
- Bafana Bafana will host Eritrea on Wednesday at 6pm SA time at Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo for a 2027 Afcon qualifier.
- Eritrea is hosting its home game in Egypt due to the lack of a CAF-accredited venue in their country.
- Bafana leads Group D with three points, Eritrea has one point, and Guinea has none after initial matches.
- Coach Pitso Mosimane cautioned against underestimating Eritrea despite Bafana's strong position and previous win over Guinea.
- Bafana will be without injured players Aubrey Modiba and Teboho Mokoena for the match against Eritrea.
