DURBAN – Kaizer Chiefs supporters may not want to hear the name Bradley Grobler right now, but he could be a key man for Bafana Bafana in their Afcon 2019 qualifier against Libya in Durban tomorrow (3pm kickoff).
Playing in the colours of SuperSport United, Grobler tore Amakhosi’s defence apart with his finesse in front of goal in the two legged MTN8 semi-final.
He netted a brace in the first leg, and scored the winner last weekend at FNB Stadium to propel his team in to the final of the competition against Cape Town City.
Grobler scored one of the goals that saw Bafana beat AmaZulu 2-0 in a friendly at Princess Magogo Stadium on Wednesday. Now he hopes to use his deadly boot against Libya and chalk up some more goals.
“I would love to carry on with my goal-scoring form. As a striker it is always nice to score your first goal of the season. I’ve done that and for me being striker is about confidence and getting goals brings confidence. I’m very confident and I can’t wait for the time,” an upbeat Grobler told reporters yesterday.
Bradley Grobler speaks to the media during the South Africa training session at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Thursday. Photo: Gerhard Duraan/BackpagePix
Grobler’s progress has been hampered by injuries over the years. He scored on debut for Bafana in 2011 against Zimbabwe.
A lot was expected of Grobler after his impressive start but injuries have put a brake on his progress.
“It has been very frustrating but I’m feeling good now. I’m starting to feel myself again. My main goal is to look after myself and try and stay fit,” he added.
Grobler has scored three goals in seven games for Bafana.
“It is nice to get in goals early in a season. I just have to carry on. It is difficult to get that first goal as a striker. With the players that we have we will create chances. It is up to me,” Grobler explained.
Bafana coach Stuart Baxter has worked diligently to come up with a plan to dethrone Libya at the summit of Group E.
“We’ve worked out where they are weak. We’ve worked on where we can exploit their weakness. We’ve seen that they have conceded a lot of goals in set-players. We’ve got guys that can cross the ball. We’ve got also other players that can help us,” Grobler said.