Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane urged to start Orlando Pirates attacker 'just to see what he can do'

As South Africa prepare for their second Group D encounter in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, the focus has shifted toward a lingering lack of goals from the front line.

Bafana Bafana legend Katlego Mphela has publicly encouraged Pitso Mosimane to hand a starting role to Orlando Pirates attacker Yanela Mbuthuma. The former Mamelodi Sundowns marksman, known affectionately as "Killer," believes that fresh blood is needed to spark the national team's offense against their lowly-ranked opponents in Cairo.

Mphela, who was a mainstay in the national side during Mosimane's first tenure as head coach, feels that the time is right to experiment with the Buccaneers' youngster.

“I’d say give Mbuthuma a chance," Mphela told The Sowetan.

"Rayners did fairly well against Guinea but he never really got chances, so I’d go for Mbuthuma just to see what he can do. Coach Pitso seems to believe in him and that might have boosted his confidence as well, so I think he deserves to start.”

The urgency behind Mphela's suggestion stems from a worrying statistic regarding South Africa’s strikers. Bafana Bafana have gone five consecutive matches without a goal from a recognized forward. The last striker to find the net for the national team was Lyle Foster, who scored in a 1-1 draw against Jamaica during a behind-closed-doors friendly in Mexico back in June.

With Foster currently unavailable, the burden has fallen on Mamelodi Sundowns star Iqraam Rayners, who led the line during the recent 2-1 victory over Guinea.

While South Africa secured three points in their Group D opener, the goals came from defenders Ime Okon and Samukelo Kabini rather than the attacking unit.

Rayners was substituted in the 68th minute of that match to make way for Mbuthuma, and Mphela believes a reversal of those roles could benefit the team’s dynamics.

“Rayners has also proven that he’s effective coming off the bench, so starting him off the bench wouldn’t be a bad idea as well.”

Eritrea, currently ranked 184th in the FIFA world rankings, are viewed as "minnows" by Bafana fans but South Africa have tripped up in fixtures like this before.

Mphela drew parallels to past disappointments, reminding the current generation that talent alone does not guarantee victory in continental qualifiers.

“We will have to beat them, that’s the expectations given the quality we have. We should take these three points, but history tells me that this kind of games can be tricky,” Mphela cautioned.

He clearly feels that the mental approach will be just as important as the tactical setup when the whistle blows tonight.

The quest to qualify for the 2027 tournament, which will be co-hosted by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya will be tough with just one team progressing from Group D to the finals.

Ultimately, the objective for Bafana is to secure six points from the opening two matches to take control of the group.

Mphela concluded his analysis by highlighting the psychological demands of these fixtures, saying: “Players can easily get complacent in such games and be surprised. It happened before where we got humbled by minnows like Cape Verde and Niger, among others.

"In terms of quality, I don’t think they can trouble us...but we have to be mentally strong.”