Bafana Bafana of South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has said it woukd be a disaster if his side fail to beat minnows Lesotho in Group C, 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Friday.
South Africa would hope to give their quest for a first World Cup appearance since 2010 a boost when they host Lesotho.
The 1996 AFCON winners are currently in third place on seven points while Lesotho are fourth on five points.
“It will be a disaster if we don’t win tomorrow,” Broos said during his press conference on Thursday.
“We have to keep ourselves in the same position we are in, and with three points tomorrow, we can go to Benin (on Tuesday) for another three points.
“And as I said before, six in a group of 10 games – the third game can be a key day. If we can achieve a six on six, let’s try to do it.
“We are aware of the difficulties we can have tomorrow, but we have to believe in ourselves and our qualities.
“Everyone is fit for tomorrow, for the difficult and tough game. In Africa, you are never sure about a victory before a game. We saw it yesterday, Cameroon against Eswatini (finished) 0-0.
“Tomorrow, we have an opponent we don’t have to underestimate. They played in September against Morocco and only lost 1-0 in the 93rd minute. More than a year ago in Nigeria, they played 1-1.
“From our side, we have to be confident in our own qualities and show that last year, I think we can talk about maybe even a historical year with the bronze medal, good games and qualification for the next AFCON.
“But today, that is all history. We don’t have to count on gifts from other teams. We have to do it ourselves starting with tomorrow.”
Broos know how important it is going to be for Bafana not to panic.
“It is important that we keep to the game plan. It will not be easy. Maybe if we are lucky from the beginning and we can score one or two goals it becomes another game,” he said.
“But I don’t think it will be like that. We are in front of an opponent who fights for every metre and fights for every ball.
“Maybe they don’t have our qualities – I am talking about football technical abilities – but they have a fantastic mentality.”
