Nigeria arrived in Bloemfontein on Sunday, all smiles ahead of their clash against Bafana Bafana on Tuesday.
The Super Eagles are in town for the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifier. They are six points behind table toppers Bafana Bafana in Group C and look all confident to cut the lead.
Bafana Bafana, however, are just as confident, as alluded to by head coach Hugo Broos.
“You know that Nigeria is a very good team and a much better team than the team of Lesotho (who Bafana beat 3-0 on Friday). So, we will have to take other majors and other tactical things than we did in the game of Lesotho,” said Broos.
“We will see, and we will try to find the right team to beat Nigeria on Tuesday.”
Bafana Bafana are on the brink of qualifying for the global showpiece with 16 points from seven matches, and a win could be all they need to get the job done. Benin are second with 11 points and Nigeria in third, with 10 points.
With both South Africa and Nigeria seemingly confident, an epic clash is on the cards, and from the players’ perspective, Bafana Bafana striker Lyle Foster says the pressure is not on them.
“I don’t necessarily think there’s pressure on us (as the log leaders). I think at the moment we are where we are in the group, and that’s a positive,” said Foster.
“I think the pressure is on the guys who are trying to get to us, but that doesn’t mean we should take our foot off the gas or take our foot off the pedal.”
The two sides drew 1-1 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, in the first leg in June last year.
