HOW things have changed for Bafana Bafana. They've gained some respect on the continent and that was evident yesterday when some of the Nigerians greeted the visiting players with a little fear in their voices.
Bafana boarded a plane to Uyo on Monday with no pressure ahead of today's clash against the African champions at Akwa Ibom Stadium (7pm SA time kickoff).
A place at next year's Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea has been booked and it's the Super Eagles who find themselves in a desperate situation. Bafana are guaranteed a top place finish in Group A, but they are not treating their trip to Nigeria as a holiday.
"We have to be professional," Bafana defender Rivaldo Coetzee said yesterday. "We can't just come here and play the game because we have to. We have qualified, but we want to change the history of our country and we want to beat Nigeria. We have never beaten them. We are going out there to get maximum points."
Coetzee, who has featured in Bafana's last three matches in the qualifiers, said it was easier to play teams away from home because they open up in defence. Bafana have already beaten Sudan and Congo away.
The 18-year-old Ajax Cape Town defender has urged his teammates to convert chances they create. Bafana let Nigeria off the hook when they met in Cape Town in September.
"We have been working on our finishing. We have to be more clinical in front of goal. We create a lot of chances, but we do not convert as much as we should. We have to make sure that we convert and get them on the back foot."
The Bafana players, who share a hotel with the Nigerians, had their first training session at Akwa Ibom Stadium last night.
Why Eagles won't get free ride from Bafana
HOW things have changed for Bafana Bafana. They've gained some respect on the continent and that was evident yesterday when some of the Nigerians greeted the visiting players with a little fear in their voices.
Bafana boarded a plane to Uyo on Monday with no pressure ahead of today's clash against the African champions at Akwa Ibom Stadium (7pm SA time kickoff).
A place at next year's Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea has been booked and it's the Super Eagles who find themselves in a desperate situation. Bafana are guaranteed a top place finish in Group A, but they are not treating their trip to Nigeria as a holiday.
"We have to be professional," Bafana defender Rivaldo Coetzee said yesterday. "We can't just come here and play the game because we have to. We have qualified, but we want to change the history of our country and we want to beat Nigeria. We have never beaten them. We are going out there to get maximum points."
Coetzee, who has featured in Bafana's last three matches in the qualifiers, said it was easier to play teams away from home because they open up in defence. Bafana have already beaten Sudan and Congo away.
The 18-year-old Ajax Cape Town defender has urged his teammates to convert chances they create. Bafana let Nigeria off the hook when they met in Cape Town in September.
"We have been working on our finishing. We have to be more clinical in front of goal. We create a lot of chances, but we do not convert as much as we should. We have to make sure that we convert and get them on the back foot."
The Bafana players, who share a hotel with the Nigerians, had their first training session at Akwa Ibom Stadium last night.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos