Durban - Even with a healthy two-goal lead and home advantage there will be no wholesale changes or experiments as South Africa aim to beat Angola in Durban tomorrow and advance to the 2018 World Cup group qualifiers.
The suspension of midfielder Andile Jali following Friday’s historic 3-1 win in the first leg of this second round of qualifiers in Benguela means there will be at least one forced alteration to the line-up.
Jali scored Bafana Bafana’s third goal before he earned a second yellow card and was sent off for inciting the home crowd with his celebrations.
“Jali’s absence means we have to adjust the team a bit and make sure we get someone to get into that position. But we are not going to make big changes. Jali does so much work for the team. He defends, he makes us play and we need a player like that for Tuesday in Durban,” said coach Ephraim Mashaba.
The Belgium-based player is still in camp and will train with the squad, and help maintain the spirit, said the coach.
Chances are Dean Furman, a second half substitute on Friday, will start in the engine room to maintain consistency and solidify the defence against an expected Angolan backlash.
Having lost a World Cup qualifier at home for the first time in 26 games, the Palancas Negras have nothing to lose and will go for broke in order to be among the final 20 nations who will contest the five places reserved for Africa at Russia 2018. The squad arrived in Durban late Saturday night via Joburg after they left Benguela that morning for a connecting flight in Angola.
It left little time for fitness and injury assessments before yesterday’s evening workout at Moses Mabhida Stadium, the venue for tomorrow’s 7pm kick-off. Nevertheless Mashaba was optimistic that defenders Anele Ngcongca and Rivaldo Coetzee would shake off ankle and wrist injuries respectively in time to retain their places in the backline.
His main concern is to ensure they do not lose momentum by making too many changes.
“We will look at the game again, for our flaws and their strong points. We are ready but might make one or two changes. It’s not about giving chances to other players; it’s about keeping consistency.. The more changes you make, it breaks the momentum,” said a relaxed and confident Mashaba who was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt at their beachfront hotel base yesterday. The coach added that he was comfortable with the variety of options he had as it “was after a long time to have such a good group to select from”.
Other huge pluses were that both strikers, Thamsanqa Gabuza and Tokelo Rantie, scored and that the “boys showed character after going behind to a second minute goal”.
However Mashaba warned: “We’re still under pressure at 3-1, big pressure. Say they score early, it will be 3-2, and then it’ll be a problem. Had we been three goals or more up it would have been better. We only hope our boys don’t lose their heads.” - Cape Times