Busy year ahead for Bafana Bafana
"Bafana Bafana have a busy year ahead of them with over 10 matches scheduled."
Bafana Bafana is in for a busy year with over 10 matches scheduled.
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Last year became one to forget for the team after they failed to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Additionally, with the controversial sacking of former coach Shakes Mashaba in December 2017, the team is now under the guidance of coach Owen da Gama.
The SA Football Association (Safa) said Bafana would be playing almost every month this year, except in May and December.
Bafana will kick-off their busy schedule in March, playing home and away matches against unnamed opponents.
In June, Bafana will play their first competitive game of the year against Nigeria in the 2019 Afcon qualifier match.
“They take on Nigeria in the first match of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2019 qualifiers on the weekend of 9-11 June, followed by an international friendly fixture a few days later (13 June) with a yet to be named country,” Safa said on their website.
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The busiest period begins in September when they resume their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with back-to-back clashes against Cape Verde.
That will be followed by their penultimate WC qualifier match against Burkina Faso in October.
In November, Bafana will take on Senegal in Dakar for their final WC qualifier match.
A win against the Tharanga Lions could very well see Bafana qualify for the 2018 Russia World Cup.
Last year, Bafana defeated Senegal 2-1 at home to move level with Burkina Faso on four points from three games.
With Bafana to play back-to-back games against arguably the weakest team in their group, it could be the perfect opportunity for the South Africans to finally move one step ahead of their rivals.
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In the past, under Pitso Mosimane and Gordon Igesund, Bafana have failed to collect maximum points against lowly ranked teams which always counted against them.
Victories against Cape Verde could see Bafana on the verge of qualification, assuming Burkina Faso doesn’t get a double over Senegal.
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