Durban - The head coach of the Liberian men’s national football team Ansumana Keita has issued a warning to Bafana Bafana following the two teams’ 2-2 draw in an Afcon qualifying match at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday.
The two nations will meet again on Tuesday in Liberia in the return leg of their group match, as they both look to seal their place at next year's continental showpiece in the Ivory Coast.
Keita has placed his head on the chopping block for their next encounter, promising a reconfigured strategic approach after they were lucky to come away with a draw in Johannesburg. He also said Bafana would face harsh conditions away from home in Liberia.
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Keita spoke to the South African press following his side’s morale-boosting come-from-behind draw against Hugo Broos’ men and expressed that he felt his side will be much better suited to the task at hand than Bafana.
"What I'm telling you is the tactical strategy that we'll use to make South Africa suffer and make them know that we want to win,“ a confident Keita expressed.
“We are not going to joke; we are going to play. No matter what happens, we'll play. South Africa is bigger than us in football, but we are more prepared than them this time.“
The Liberian side has not been able to play any of their matches on their own patch and for that reason had to battle Morocco in Morocco for their own home leg.
However, Coach Keita and his charges have been handed a major boost with CAF allowing them to host Bafana in Monrovia, and Keita believes the return of international football in the country will attract masses of Liberian fans.
“It has taken two or three years now since we have not played at home. Liberians are hungry, so the result of today could motivate them but trust me, by 08:00 or 09:00 in the morning, the stadium will be packed over there. The Liberians will be there to support their team," he said.
Keita took charge of his first match against Bafana having been appointed in January as the leading man at the helm. His departing remarks revealed that he and his men had achieved their mission.
“This is my first international game as the coach of Liberia and in my career. In my first game in my international career, playing a good team like South Africa, we planned to get a draw in South Africa. We knew it could be tough to beat them at home,” he said.