Former Bafana Bafana captain and AFCON 1996 winner Neil Tovey believes the match against Egypt should not be influenced by any fear or caution.
Hugo Broos’ troops will battle the Pharaohs with their tails up after a 2-1 opening win over Angola in a Group B tie. The three points put Bafana Bafana in a strong position, and a win against Egypt will seal a place in the Last 16.
The clash against the seven-time African champions in Morocco takes place on Friday, 26 December. Kick-off scheduled for 17:00. Egypt remain one of the heavyweights of the tournament, but their narrow and laboured 2-1 win over Zimbabwe showed they are not untouchable, even with stars like Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush.
BAFANA BAFANA LEGEND NEIL TOVEY: EGYPT ARE DANGEROUS
According to Tovey, a cautious approach from Bafana Bafana will play straight into Egypt’s hands.
Instead, Tovey is backing Bafana to lean into their strengths: brave possession, quick movement and positive intent. In his view, taking the game to Egypt, rather than trying to survive, could be the key to a statement win.
“Egypt were not plain sailing [against Zimbabwe], but they are dangerous, very dangerous,” Tovey told FARPost. “I hope we don’t go with the thought process that all we need is to defend and stop [Mohamed] Salah and [Omar] Marmoush.
“Let’s take it to the Egyptians. If we take the game to them, that is when you will enjoy better performances. If you sit back, they carve something open. We have to put them on the back foot.
“I don’t think they are as sound as they’d like to be. They have problems at the back. You have to see how Zimbabwe troubled them.
“If we keep and move the ball, we will get the result. That is our strength. Touch and move. Touch, pass, move, touch, pass, space, man behind. I think if we sit back against Egypt, it will be the wrong ploy,” Tovey concluded.
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