Ronwen Williams doubtful for Bafana Bafana clash with Nigeria

With the South Africa national team preparing to face Nigeria in a crucial 2019 Caf African Cup of Nations qualifier on Saturday at the FNB Stadium, the team could be without goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.

Stuart Baxter told the media on Monday that the SuperSport United keeper will not train with the rest of the squad as he will be monitored, but he could be taken through his paces 48 hours later while midfielder Thulani Serero could be available for training in the next 24 hours.

‘‘The ultrasound did not find any tears but it will take him (Williams) I think 24 to 48 hours for it (slight knee strain) to settle‚” said Baxter on monday.

‘‘So, he won’t be training with us for the 48 hours and we hope it (the injury) will settle. So, that is a little bit of a scare but we will not call in a third keeper and we will keep Ronwen because I think he will be okay," he added.

Speaking about Serero, the English coach said the former Ajax Amsterdam player could make his recovery soon and he exects him to resume training on Tuesday.

‘‘The second one is Thulani Serero. We did not receive anything from the club about Thulani but through media reports in Holland," explained the coach.

‘‘They said he had an ankle injury. We knew he was on the plane but we did not know anything about the injury," he responded.

‘‘So, we held our breaths a little bit. When he got off (the plane) he said had a laceration‚ five stitches and a gash. The stitches should come off (on Monday). Easy training (on Monday) and he should be okay for full training (on Tuesday)," added the Bafana boss.

‘‘We did after that get a doctor’s report from Holland. So, those two are not okay, but they should be okay in the next 24 to 48 hours,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Bafana have been hit by injuries in the past few months with players such as Bongani Zungu, Keagan Dolly, Sibusiso Vilakazi and Kamohelo Mokotjo having been ruled out of the Super Eagles encounter.

Apart from their eagerly anticipated clash against the West Africans, the 1996 African champions will meet Paraguay in the Nelson Mandela Challenge at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.