By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South Africa will be in the spotlight with the highly anticipated return to the squad of captain Ronwen Williams, who is also still revelling in the success of being nominated for the Yashine Trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards.
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos faces a classic conundrum: crafting his starting line-up for the pivotal 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Congo-Brazzaville at the iconic Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Broos said that the team needs to be well prepared for their clash against Congo so that they can earn maximum points to make qualification smoother.
“If we have six on six, we are qualified. If we don’t, then maybe the two games against South Sudan and Uganda can be tricky,” he said.
“We didn’t see the real SA in our last two games. I wasn’t happy with the performance but I was only happy with the results.”
Broos has played down the internal strife at the Congolese Football Association (Fecofoot) and says it will not affect how the team prepares.
Reports emerged from Congo last week that Fecofoot was in trouble, a Congo-Brazzaville squad was yet to be announced.
This came after the government, through military forces, removed Fecofoot staff from offices.
Congo also had a mixed start to their latest AFCON qualifiers campaign. They won 1-0 at home to South Sudan but lost 2-0 to Uganda on the road.
Senegal vs Malawi
Senegal will be in action in Group L, as they take on Malawi at the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade. They are placed second in the group with a game in hand over leaders Burkina Faso.
With Aliou Cisse’s tenure with the team coming to an end last week, the Lions of Teranga will head into this month’s qualifiers without a permanent coach. Pape Thiaw, who was Cisse’s assistant, will take on the responsibilities on an interim basis for now.
Nigeria vs Libya
Nigeria, who are currently topping Group D, will take on Libya at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium. Their target will be to stay in pole position to qualify to play the tournament in Morocco next year.
Super Eagles interim coach Augustine Eguavoen is targeting maximum points.
“That they (Libya) are down right now doesn’t mean they cannot rise. They will come to fight. It will be tough, but the boys are ready and with the spirit in the camp, they will deliver,” he said.
AFCON Qualifiers Fixtures, Friday, October 11, 2024
- Eq Guinea v Liberia
- Zambia v Chad
- Mozambique v Eswatini
- Madagascar vs Gambia
- Egypt v Mauritania
- Nigeria v Libya
- Benin v Rwanda
- Cameroon v Kenya
- Uganda v South Sudan
- South Africa v Congo
- Senegal v Malawi
- Angola v Niger
- Côte d’Ivoire v Sierra Leone
- Mali v Guinea-Bissau
- Tunisia v Comoros
- Gabon v Lesotho
Saturday, October 12, 2024
- Guinea vs Ethiopia
- Morocco vs Central African Republic.