Twin strikers to fire up
Their recent nemesis‚ Tokelo Rantie‚ might be missing from the current Bafana Bafana squad‚ but Nigeria will be introduced to the Lebo Mothiba and Percy Tau strike partnership in Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Bafana coach Stuart Baxter has said that if the Super Eagles do not know the Mothiba-Tau partnership yet‚ they will have a far better idea come 5pm at FNB Stadium (kick-off 3pm) on Saturday.
Rantie‚ not called up for this squad as he has yet to earn game time at new club Cape Town City‚ has been Nigeria’s tormentor recently.
He scored two goals as Bafana were 2-0 up in Uyo in November 2014‚ where Nigeria fought back to 2-2 but still never recovered from that result as SA qualified for Equatorial Guinea 2015 at their expense.
That result had put a doubt in the minds of a Super Eagles used to an almost complete domination against South Africa.
In Uyo again in June 2017 Bafana won 2-0 for their first competitive victory against Nigeria at the start of the current Cameroon 2019 qualifiers‚ and Rantie scored the 54thminute opener. The Nigerians had a glimpse of Tau‚ who came off the bench and scored the 81st-minute second.
They have not faced the exciting new partnership of now Belgian-based Tau and Mothiba‚ the big 22-year-old Strasbourg centre-forward who has seven goals in 13 games in Ligue 1 this season‚ and three strikes in his first four caps for Bafana.
Tau has six goals in 15 games for Bafana.
A win to Nigeria or Bafana will clinch qualification for either team for Cameroon 2019.