Hugo Broos explains why he is afraid of Angola and what Bafana Bafana must 'try to avoid' in their AFCON opener 'you can judge now what we can expect'

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has explained why South Africa must beat Angola in their Group B Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) opening game.

The COSAFA rivals will meet on December 22, and according to the 73-year-old, this is a game that his charges must win no matter what.

“The AFCON group is not bad, but a little bit tricky with a team like Angola. Two months ago, I didn’t know so much about Angola, but once a draw was there, I looked at them; they are not a bad team. Their players play abroad also," Broos said, as per iDiski Times.

“You can judge now what we can expect, and they are our first game. In a tournament like this, it’s very important to win your first game.

“You saw in the previous AFCON, we lost against Mali, and it was the knife here [in the neck] against Namibia in the second match," he added.

“We will try to avoid that because our second game is Egypt. So, that’s a tough game; if that’s the game that you have to win, it becomes difficult. 

“So, this is something we must avoid. Then there’s Zimbabwe. Again, the first game is very important.”

Although Broos is keen to avoid a defeat against Angola, he has already pointed out that he will not put pressure on his players to win the AFCON trophy.

“Oh, pressure, you know, you make the pressure yourself a little bit. I know that everyone, and we know all that everyone expects. The only thing I heard the last three or four weeks, when I met someone outside or in the group when I did my groceries, was ‘Hey coach, we win AFCON,’" Broos said.

"'Hey, coach, bring us the cup'. Everyone is expecting that, but you don’t have to come back every time with your players and say, ‘Hey guys, we have to be in the semi-finals.’

According to the former Cameroon head coach, applying pressure on the players could end up being counterproductive.

“Then you yourself put pressure on the team. They know it, and also, they want to win AFCON. Don’t think they don’t want to win AFCON," he explained. 

"So, I don’t have to put pressure there, or I don’t have to repeat to them every two or three days, 'Hey guys, come on, we have to win it.' We don’t have to do that, and it should be a very bad thing to do because then, as a coach, you put the pressure on your team.”

Broos has explained that what matters for them the most is mental preparation and knowing that teams will treat them as one of the tournament's favourites.

“The only thing I have to tell them is to prepare them for what will come, and what will come is what I already told them from the beginning; the status of South Africa is different than two years ago. Two years ago, we were one of the teams. Now we are one of the best teams in AFCON," Broos added.  

“So, our opponents will not make the same mistake I think Morocco did in the previous one. They told South Africa, 'We beat them 2-1 for the qualification, and here we beat them.'

"But okay, everything was decided; I think they were a little bit too relaxed against us. It will not happen again now, and we have to be aware of that.”

Bafana's preparations for AFCON were rocked by controversy involving the coach and his defender, Mbekezeli Mbokazi. Broos blasted the Bafana star for arriving late, and his choice of words created a storm.

However, he later defended himself and said his comments were misunderstood.