11 October 2018, by: Jimmy Tau

JIMMY TAU: BAFANA BAFANA TO GET THE JOB DONE

Bafana Bafana go into a double header against the Seychelles in
two games vital to their hopes of AFCON qualification..

Jimmy Tau is back with his weekly BET.co.za column and he’s strong on Bafana’s chances of getting the six points required..

Two games against Seychelles come at a handy and crucial time for Banana Banana as they look to qualify for AFCON 2019 in the Cameroon.

Considering the disappointment of the 0-0 home draw against Libya when we were favourites to win it’s important for us to now make sure we can beat the Seychelles home and away to stay in the fight for qualification.

The draw has been kind to Bafana Bafana with the advantage of playing the first of the two games at home. This gives us the chance to stamp our authority on the opponents.

From my playing days, I can tell you that preparing to play against teams that are perceived as smaller or lower ranked teams is very difficult. You can fall into the trap of trying to undermine your opponent and think that it will be easy as you are the ‘bigger team’ – this can lead to a surprise when you get on the field and realise that no matter what their ranking they will arrive to compete like anyone.

That’s why it’s important to focus on your preparations and prepare like you normally would and I’m sure the South African team will be wary of this.

The other challenge the team faces is the short turnaround between games with the travel in between, but with only 5 hours to the Seychelles and our preparation in the tropical climate of Durban, I can’t see either of those being a big problem for the team.

South Africa has battled for goals at international level and the challenge lies in converting good club form to the big stage. This wasn’t helped in the Libya game where they opted to only field one striker and we should see a more offensive approach at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

This should help us hit the back of the net and get a better attacking game going – something that will be needed to win away on the island!

We have taken a big blow with the injuries to Morena and Pule, but they have very able replacements that I’m confident will get the job done and will love the opportunity. It’s also time for Dolly and Tau to really shine in the national jersey.

People have raised former failures to qualify and disappointments against the Cape Verde in World Cup qualifying, but I prefer to focus on the positives.

Without undermining the opposition, I can see South Africa picking up the six points they desperately need over the next two games and putting themselves firmly in the hunt for qualification with just the home game against Nigeria and the trip to Libya remaining.

This Saturday I predict a 2-0 win for South Africa in Johannesburg.

Jimmy Tau’s BET Boost: We’ve boosted the price on South Africa to win 2-0.