Mamelodi Sundowns duo and Orlando Pirates star making a case for Pitso Mosimane’s Bafana Bafana - 'This is where most players are selected from'

As Bafana Bafana enter a new era under Pitso Mosimane, attention is already turning to the players looking to make their mark under the new coach.

Vuyo Mere believes the upcoming MTN8 final provides the perfect stage for those pushing for national-team recognition.

Speaking to iDiski Times, Mere pointed to the selection trends of previous successful Bafana squads and suggested the current crop of Betway Premiership stars could play a similar role.

"What a way to start your selection of the team by having a pool of players in the MTN8 final," Mere explained.

"This is where most of the players are selected from now because if you look at the World Cup squad, we had many players from Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates," he continued.

"Hence, I was a bit disappointed by the Kaizer Chiefs players not making it all the way to the semi-finals of MTN8 because it was going to help the pool of players for coach Pitso Mosimane to select from.

"Obviously, coach Pitso, he’ll be under pressure because there’s qualifiers around the corner, but for him, the positive side is that he knows the players.

"He’s worked with most of the players before. Hopefully, he will be able to select a quality squad for the upcoming qualifiers, and I know there’s other teams that are doing very well."

At the centre of the conversation are Mamelodi Sundowns’ attacking stars Cassius Mailula and Tashreeq Matthews.

The veteran defender believes their performances are coming at the right time, with the pair looking to catch the eye of Mosimane and put themselves in contention for Bafana selection.

"I’ve been impressed with Mailula and Tashreeq Matthews at Sundowns. You know, those players, they are raising their hands. It seems like they know that coach Pitso is looking for players," Mere added.

While the Sundowns duo provides the offensive spark, Orlando Pirates' Kamogelo Sebelebele is making a strong case for defensive stability.

His ability to balance defensive duties with attacking contributions, highlighted by his own goal during the tournament, has seen him named in Mosimane’s preliminary squad.

"I mean, players are raising their hands even at the other teams. It’s good to see that. I mean, I’ve been impressed with Sebelebele."