WHAT’S ON BAFANA
BAFANA BAFANA will not rest on their laurels given the fact that they need just a point from their final 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya this weekend.
“The game plan has to be quite aggressive,” coach Stuart Baxter said.
“It has to be with great attention to defending without that impacting our desire to go at them and go for their throat every time we can. We obviously don’t know how they are thinking. They may be thinking, for goodness sake don’t go all gung-ho in the first half-an-hour so they turn us over and score or they may be very emotional and come flying at us. We’ve got to have a game plan, no matter what they do.”
Baxter consistently spoke about mental strength is his last press conference in South Africa on Saturday before Bafana embarked on their long trek from Johannesburg to Tunisia via Germany. Baxter left with the local-based contingent of players. The overseasbased players along with Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns’ players, who were involved in the Caf Champions League in Guinea and Morocco, went straight to Tunis where Bafana will be based until Wednesday.
The following day they will drive to Sfax, the city that will host Bafana’s crucial Afcon qualifier with Libya on Sunday.
Baxter and Safa chose to be based in Tunis due to limited training facilities in Sfax. They’ll only go to the city for the two training sessions they will have at the match venue. Bafana need at least a point to book a ticket to Egypt for Afcon, while the Mediterranean Knights need a win.
“We definitely have to be stronger mentally,” Baxter said. “But I think that we can (get a result in Tunisia). We should base that confidence on the fact that for one year people have struggled to score against us and we haven’t been beaten. So now, we want to take that with us and say right, ‘We think that we’re better. We won’t worry about you.’ If we execute our game plan we have a good chance.”
The two goalkeepers who will contest the No 1 jersey, Darren Keet and Ronwen Williams, left SA on a high. Williams is confident following his recent displays in the colours of SuperSport United. Keet is among the leading candidates for the Goalkeeper of the Season award due to his performances for Wits. Based on form, Williams, pictured, leads the race despite having gone to Tunisia with a minor niggle. But in terms of experience and remaining cool under pressure in a Bafana jersey, Keet is your man. Baxter and the technical team will have a tough choice in deciding who will be in goal on Sunday.