Cape Town - Bafana Bafana’s chances of qualifying for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco may hinge on their performances against Congo in the upcoming home and away matches.
Getting at least a point against the Red Devils in Pointe-Noire on Saturday could be key, and will give the side a massive boost heading into Wednesday’s return clash at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
Proper game management
It’s going to be essential for Bafana to try and control the pace of the game in hot conditions and on an unfamiliar synthetic surface. Congo will look to lift the intensity and play at a high pace to try and hurt the visitors in the last quarter of the match.
The two South African central midfielders, Andile Jali and Dean Furman, will have to determine the tempo from midfield and slow the game down when Congo are in the ascendancy.
However, they mustn’t be afraid to take the game to Congo either, and counter-attack with pace and purpose when they dispossess their hosts in the transition.
Get Thulani Serero on the ball
Thulani Serero may not be the biggest player on the park, but he is Bafana’s greatest attacking threat.
The former Ajax Cape Town midfielder has matured under the guidance of Frank de Boer at Ajax Amsterdam and is playing a starring role in the Champions League.
Serero possesses a silky touch, lots of pace and plenty of football intelligence. He is the sort of player who can turn a match on its head with a moment of brilliance.
He has shown that he can get into the penalty area and score crucial goals. Hopefully this is the trip where he shows his true value for South Africa at international level.
Keep calm in the cauldron
The Stade Municipal in Pointe-Noire is not going to be a place for the faint-hearted if you are wearing green and gold on Saturday.
Bafana were brilliant in shutting up a hostile crowd in their first match of the qualifiers against Sudan, where they soaked up the pressure before scoring three second-half goals.
However, the atmosphere in the oil-rich city situated next to the Atlantic Ocean is going to be louder and more intimidating. Congo have a real shot at qualifying for Morocco as well, so expect their supporters to come hard at the visitors.
Limit the mistakes
Keeping calm will definitely help Bafana to limit the unforced errors. Mistakes could be suicidal in what is expected to be a really tight encounter, where the slightest slip-up can cost you the match.
Playing on a different surface is already going to be a massive challenge, as the way the ball bounces or travels over the surface will be a lot different than what they, and their muscle memory, are used to.
Doing the basics right might sound like a little cliché, but in this sort of match, it could be worth a ticket to Morocco.
Convert the chances
This might seem a bit obvious, but if you take Bafana’s scoring record over the last decade into consideration, then this could be the biggest factor on the day. Matches like these might hinge on who can take that half-chance or be clinical enough to punish a mistake.
Bafana strikers Tokelo Rantie and Bongani Ndulula aren’t prolific by any stretch of the imagination, but they will have to come to the party sooner or later. Both have good attributes, with Ndulula able to hold the ball up well and Rantie capable of outsprinting opponents.
Getting the ball in the back of the goal, though, should be their primary job.
Cape Times