South Africa’s national football team are bracing themselves for an intense encounter with Morocco in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers on Saturday, with coach Hugo Broos expressing his anticipation for the match and acknowledging the strength of the Moroccan squad.
“We are delighted to play against a team like Morocco because even if we lose, it will still be an interesting match in terms of learning,” said Broos in a press conference held in Johannesburg on Friday.
The highly anticipated match will take place on Saturday at 4:00 pm GMT+1 at the iconic Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.
“We are playing tomorrow a game against a very strong opponent … I think for the moment Morocco is maybe the best team in Africa,” the Belgian coach said, recalling the strong performance that the Atlas Lions displayed during the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
He spoke of the South African team’s readiness “to play a good game tomorrow,” underlining that the match will be a “good test” for his squad to show the progress they have made.
Broos said he hopes that tomorrow’s game will be an opportunity for Bafana Bafana, which continues to develop and improve, to regain its popularity in South Africa and “win back the public.”
He recalled South Africa’s defeat against Morocco in the first round of the AFCON qualifiers last year in Rabat, saying: “We were lucky we only lost with 2-1.”
“We were dominated in every line of the team, in every aspect of football, speed, technique ..,” the coach explained, highlighting the Moroccan team’s form and skills and noting his hope to see tomorrow’s game yield different results.
The Moroccan national team officially secured its ticket to the final phase of the continental tournament last March following a 2-2 draw between South Africa and Liberia in Group K. With 6 points, Morocco currently sits at the top of the group.