Bafana Bafana midfielder Sphephelo Sithole says the team will leave everything on the pitch when they take on South Korea in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The clash in Monterrey, Mexico, will kick off at 3 AM South African time, with both sides eyeing a place in the Round of 32.

“We are playing against a very good side. We know their qualities, we know how they play, because we did our analysis, and I think, as the coach has said, the only thing that we need to do tomorrow is to win the game if we want to qualify,” said Sithole.

“We are more than motivated for that, and we just can’t wait for tomorrow. I think about the match now; everybody knows that it’s a very important match for us. We all know that we need to win the game in order to advance to the next round. So I think the team is very prepared,” he added.

Sithole came under heavy criticism in the first match, a two-nil defeat to co-hosts Mexico. He was dispossessed on the edge of the box, and Mexico scored from there, and to make matters worse, he was red-carded later on, making a comeback impossible.

Despite this, he says he is mentally ready for the South Korea match, as he has received a lot of support in camp.

“I know that I didn’t have a good game in the first game, but I think the support that I got from the team was good. Everyone was supportive. The coach as well, he supported me very well, so I’m very grateful for that,” reflected ‘Yaya’.

“And I think that’s what makes us a very good team.”