CAIRO – Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter is giving serious thought to his team selection ahead of the team’s crunch 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) last-16 match against Egypt at the Cairo International Stadium on Saturday.
The SA national football side intends to cause one of the biggest sporting upsets of the year by overcoming the Pharoahs in their own backyard and progressing to the next stage of the tournament.
Baxter hinted that might beef up his starting team in some areas which have not been functioning at 100 percent in the tournament so far.
He added that, if the team gets the tactics right, they have the potential to give the Egyptians a good run for their money.
South Africa were paired against the hosts on Tuesday after finishing their group as one of the four best third-placed teams in the tournament.
And, despite talk that the home team will be runaway favourites on Saturday, Bafana will look back at history with lots of pride. On the occasions they have played Egypt, South Africa performed admirably.
Baxter will look back at history for some inspiration, secure in the knowledge that the hosts are beatable.
While Egypt will rely on the vociferous home crowd support to spur them on, the same crowd can also put pressure on the home team. It is this weight of expectation that Baxter can take advantage of.
While more than 98 percent of the support will be rooting for the Pharaohs, Bafana are one of the popular sides in this tournament, and neutrals will be vying for them.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 21h00 and, according to reports here, the match tickets have been sold out.