Will Rohr allow them at this crucial moment of the Nations Cup?
South Africa coach, Stuart Baxter has said that his defenders will stop the ball from getting to Nigeria striker, Odion Ighalo, when both teams clash in Wednesday’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, at the Cairo International Stadium.
He also expressed confidence that the Bafana Bafana will beat the Super Eagles of Nigeria again.
Odion Ighalo is one of the four leading scorers in the ongoing tournament.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday ahead of South Africa’s clash with Nigeria on Wednesday, Baxter told reporters: “We definitely respect the Super Eagles, but not afraid of them.
“They are one of the Superpowers in African football, and we have to respect that, but on the pitch things will be different.
“It is true that we got a good result against Egypt, but we have to stay grounded. We may have to try different things from what we did against Nigeria in the past, but we are confident of beating them again.”
Baxter added: “We don’t make plans to stop individual players, rather we will do it as a team. We will find a way of stopping the ball from getting to him [Ighalo]. It is up to our back four to do that.
“The midfielders too have to help screen the defence.”
As the semi-final ticket is up for grabs when the Super Eagles of Nigeria take on the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in one of the tournament’s quarter-final games on Wednesday.
The match between two past winners of the African Cup of Nations billed for Cairo International Stadium at 8pm on Wednesday will be scintillating
The Super Eagles, who posted two underwhelming victories and lost 0 – 2 to minnows, Madagascar booked their place in the quarter-final after a hard-fought 3 – 2 victory over continental powerhouse and defending champions, Cameroon, on Saturday.
South Africa, on the other hand, qualified for the knockout stage as one of the third-best placed teams. They advanced to the quarter-final with an impressive performance against hosts and one of the pre-tournament favourites, Egypt, in front of 80,000 fans at the Cairo International Stadium.
Both teams have met 13 times, with six Nigerian victories against South Africa’s two, the most recent being the 2 – 0 away victory over the Super Eagles in a 2019 AFCON Group E qualifier played in June 2017. The return leg last November in Johannesburg ended 1 – 1.
Super Eagles' Coach Gernot Rohr will once again look to Odion Ighalo for inspiration, with the China-based striker seemingly to have rediscovered his scoring touch.
Rohr will also hope that his side’s defence, which has proved a source of worry, will enjoy better protection by hard-working midfielders, Wilfred Ndidi and Oghenekaro Etebo. The Super Eagles can also count on midfielders Alex Iwobi and defender Ola Aina to provide an attacking spark.
The Bafana Bafana look very capable of ending the Super Eagles’ dream of adding to their three AFCON victories. The 1996 winners will take inspiration from the staggering counter-attacking performance against Egypt and their main offensive weapons, Percy Tau and Thembinkosi Lorch, the 2018/2019 ABSA Premiership Best Player. Both players showed how much menace they are capable of against the Pharaohs of Egypt.
Coach Stuart Baxter can also depend on Lebo Mothiba, who has been a source of irritation to defenders since the tournament began, the creativity of Bongani Zungu and the reliability of Dean Furman in midfield.
The Bafana Bafana look very capable of ending the Super Eagles’ dream of adding to their three AFCON victories. The 1996 winners will take inspiration from the staggering counter-attacking performance against Egypt and their main offensive weapons, Percy Tau and Thembinkosi Lorch, the 2018/2019 ABSA Premiership Best Player. Both players showed how much menace they are capable of against the Pharaohs of Egypt.
Coach Stuart Baxter can also depend on Lebo Mothiba, who has been a source of irritation to defenders since the tournament began, the creativity of Bongani Zungu and the reliability of Dean Furman in midfield.
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