Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter has highlighted the progress of Orlando Pirates defender Innocent Maela ahead of the Cosafa Cup quarter-final clash against Madagascar.

The reigning Cosafa Cup champions open their new account with a clash against the island country and the former Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United mentor has spoken about Maela’s progress.

Maela formed part of the winning Cosafa Cup squad last year during his time in the National First Division with the now-defunct Thanda Royal Zulu and Baxter has hailed the progress of the Absa Premiership Defender of the Season nominee.

‘We started this sort of transformation with the Four Nations,’ he told the media.

‘We’ve given those ones that were quite good another chance to get some more caps under the belts.

‘And I think those will be the ones who will be candidates for the squad [for the Afcon qualifiers],’ the English coach told the media in Polokwane.

‘I think Innocent Maela looks like he has improved. We took him to Cosafa last year and he was at Thanda.

‘On the back of his performance for us, he went to Pirates. Last year he was one that was just galloping up and down the line, [but] now he is playing.

‘Now he looks like he is affecting the game. So I am hoping for a kickabout for guys like [Siphesihle] Ndlovu so that they do make themselves candidates,’ he concluded.

The two sides are expected to clash in their quarter-final tie on Sunday, 3 June, with kick-off set for 3pm.

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