Bafana Bafana defender Thulani Hlatshwayo has admitted that his side are targeting a victory against Libya, even though only a draw is needed to secure qualification for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
The South African national side will face the Libyans at the Stade Taieb Mhiri on Sunday (7pm) on Sunday. They come into the game second in Group E, knowing that they only have to avoid defeat to secure a spot at the showpiece event in Egypt.
Stuart Baxter’s chargers began their preparation with a training session in Tunis on Monday, and will travel to Sfax later on in the week.
Bidvest Wits defender Hlatshwayo has highlighted the importance of the game, but believes his teammates are ready to handle the pressure and walk away with a victory come Sunday evening.
The team held their first training session in Tunis yesterday ahead of their final Group E match in Sfax.
‘I have played in bigger games, but it is an important game and we know how important it is for the country,’ said Hlatshwayo.
‘There will always be pressure playing for Bafana. It’s a crucial game, we will go for a win even though we just need a draw.’
The Libyans have tried to implement some early mind games with the delayed announcement of the date and venue for the match.
Bafana have tried to negate this by hosting the majority of their camp in Tunisia before travelling to Sfax two days before the match.
‘There is a lot of mind games from Libya, considering that they told us late about the venue, but we have a lot of experienced players.
‘It’s a do-or-die game, so we expect Libya to come at us,’ he concluded.
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