Bafana Bafana left on a jet plane for Niamey, confident they can continue their march towards 2012 African Nations Cup qualification when they take on Niger.
|||Niamey, Niger - Bafana Bafana left on a jet plane for Niamey on Friday, confident they can continue their march towards 2012 African Nations Cup qualification when they take on Niger on Sunday afternoon (Stade Général Seyni Kountché, kick-off 4.30pm SA time).
The South African team were set to land in the Niger capital on Friday evening and should train at the stadium today, giving them an idea of the kind of conditions they will be up against in a potentially difficult fixture.
Temperatures are expected to be around a furnace-like 34ºC, while the playing surface is unlikely to be the green baize Bafana have got used to playing on back home.
Add to this a hostile home crowd of around 35 000 supporters and a Niger team on a roll, having won both of their home Group 7 qualifiers thus far, and Bafana will have to be at their belligerent best to emerge with a result.
In their favour, there has been little shortage of fight from Pitso Mosimane’s men in their Nations Cup qualifying campaign thus far. A tenacious goalless draw was secured in equally tricky conditions in Freetown against Sierra Leone last October, while in June Bafana went to Cairo and picked up a similar result against Egypt.
“Bafana got rid of that a long time ago,” said coach Pitso Mosimane this week. “Problems with travelling, accommodation, the pitch. We dealt with that in Sierra Leone. This is a game for soldiers.”
Another draw would suit Bafana just fine in Niamey, leaving them requiring just one more point from a home game against Sierra Leone next month to guarantee qualification.
Should Sierra Leone fail to beat Egypt in Freetown today, however, Bafana will have the extra incentive of knowing victory will qualify them for 2012 Equatorial Guinea/Gabon with a game to spare.
Niger are having one of their best qualifying campaigns ever for a Nations Cup, inspired by some excellent young players like 23-year-old striker Ouwo Moussa Maazou, who scored the winner against Egypt in Niamey last October.
The ‘Mena’ will go top of Group G if they can take down Bafana, but they have never qualified for a Nations Cup finals and one feels Mosimane’s current side might just have too much class, even with a spate of injury worries.
Captain Steven Pienaar, Reneilwe Letsholonyane and Kagiso Dikgacoi were already missing through injury when second-choice goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs and forward Tlou Segolela were also ruled out at the start of the camp in Phokeng.
Striker Katlego Mphela also has to be a serious doubt after picking up a knee injury in training earlier this week. But this Bafana side has constantly proved tenacious in overcoming injury problems, as shown in Cairo, where they were without Pienaar and Thanduyise Khuboni as they kept out the Pharaohs and missed a couple of gilt-edged opportunities to win.
Khuboni is back to partner Andile Jali in Niger, while Mosimane is set to use the experience of Teko Modise on the right of midfield. Up front, the Bafana coach will be hoping Mphela is fit.
This squad should emerge from Niamey with their status as the best team in Group 7 confirmed. -Saturday Star
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/bafana-fired-up-for-steamy-clash-1.1130617
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