Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos is banking on the expertise of Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns players who had a run in Caf club competitions.
Bafana clash with Morocco in their opening 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Rabat on Thursday night. The Belgian mentor is convinced his players who took part in Caf competitions are better placed to help the team overcome the Atlas Lions in their backyard.
Pirates reached the Caf Confederation Cup while Downs were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
“I’m very happy for what Pirates and Sundowns did in the Confederation Cup and the Champions League; this is a fantastic experience for those players to play on a higher level and that experience they bring with them in the team,” said the AFCON winning coach.
“And also there was a lot of criticism in the two games, 5-0 loss against France and a draw against Guinea but also from those games we learnt a lot, and therefore it was a good experience, it was a wakeup call, and everyone felt it, even me with all my experience, I was like ‘what happened here’, so it was a great experience for those players.”
Bafana Bafana will be looking to take an early advantage of qualifying for 2023 Afcon in Ivory Coast when they face off against Morocco at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 21:00
