Preview: Bafana vs Morocco

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Bafana Bafana take on North African giants Morocco in their final Group D game at the African Cup of Nations as Stuart Baxter’s men look to book their spot in the tournament’s knockout stages, writes DEAN WORKMAN.

Bafana head into the fixture knowing that a draw or a win will see them through to the round-of-16 as either a part of the group’s top two teams or as one of the best third placed teams after picking up three points from their opening two games.

Baxter’s men opened the tournament with a disappointing 1-0 loss against the Ivory Coast, where they created very little going forward, but they bounced back to scrape past neighbours Namibia with a nervy 1-0 win.

The South African now face their toughest battle so far as they face the already qualified Moroccans who already have six points after winning against both Namibia and Ivory Coast.

Baxter, however, believes his team is ready for their match up against the third highest ranked team on the continent.

‘Morocco were strong against Ivory Coast, have a very experienced team and will be a tough opponent for us. But we feel that we are settling more and more into a good rhythm and we feel we can give them a good game,’ said the former Chiefs coach.

‘The players are quite confident, and the preparations have been going quite well. We were a bit late with our preparations because of some cancelled games so these games in the tournament are actually bringing us closer together to where we want to be. We are quite confident.’

The Bafana coach also received a double injury boost ahead of the game as both Dean Furman and Thami Mkhize have recovered from their respective injuries. ‘The team feels a bit settled. The players are believing; Dean trained on Saturday and is looking fine while Thami Mkhize’s concussion is ok,’ added Baxter at his pre-match presser.

South Africa have come up against the North Africans on six occasions, losing three, drawing two and winning just once as they head into the crunch clash on Monday evening.

Bafana may still qualify for the knockout stages no matter the result against Morocco but in order to be certain of their progression, while also looking to create momentum and confidence ahead of the knockout stages, a big performance and result is required from Baxter’s team.

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Dean Workman