Saturday’s crunch 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualification Group E match against Nigeria signals a new dawn for the South African national team.
In his first game back at the helm of Bafana Bafana, Stuart Baxter will be determined to stun the Super Eagles in their own back yard. However, the Briton is wary that his troops have not had the best of preparations going into the encounter.
Ahead of the clash, Bafana were dealt a major blow with the withdrawal of Kamohelo Mokotjo and Hlompho Kekana. Baxter has also had to contend with several of his key players carrying niggles following an arduous campaign. However, the new Bafana coach has remained positive and will be hoping to create a little bit of history for himself, as he looks to steer Bafana past Nigeria for the first time ever in a competitive match. Although, it should be noted that Bafana have previously registered a solitary victory against Nigeria, which coincidently was masterminded by Baxter himself in his first stint in charge, and that experience could bode well for the Southern African nation.
Meanwhile, Bafana’s opponents on the night are definitely no slouches. While the Nigerians are a far cry from their domineering best, they are seen as a nation on the rise once again. Under the tutelage of German tactician Gernot Rohr, the Nigerian’s look like a well-oiled machine and together with some of the continents best exports they are undoubtedly still a force to be reckoned with.
Most notably, Bafana will need to be watchful of the promising Nigerian attack which consists of the likes of Arsenal midfielder Alex Iwobi, Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho and Leicester City’s speedster Ahmed Musa. Nigeria also have within their ranks one of English football’s most highly rated midfielders in Wilfred Ndidi, and he will be expected to pick up the pieces in the middle of the park.
Nevertheless, Baxter will not be too fazed as he also has several players of note at his disposal and will be relying on the highly coveted Portuguese- based Bongani Zungu and an in-form Tokelo Rantie to influence matters.
Going into the clash, Nigeria certainly hold the psychological advantage, having dismantled Togo 3-0 in an international friendly played just over a week ago. While Bafana’s lack of preparation and poor record in this fixture is apparent, there seems to be an undeniable air of optimism surrounding the current Bafana crop, and this could motivate them to give Nigeria a surprise or two.
