South Africa
have announced their 23-man squad for next week’s Africa Cup of Nations
qualifier against Nigeria.
The game is
billed for the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on November 17.
Bafana
Bafana head coach, Stuart Baxter, on Monday, admitted that he has found it
difficult to put together a squad for the fixture, following injuries to key
members of his side.
Baxter has
had to re-arrange his squad due to injuries to several of his key players, the
latest being Brentford midfielder, Kamohelo Mokotjo.
Other key
players set to miss this fixture are: Dean Furman, Bongani Zungu, Keagan Dolly,
Sibusiso Vilakazi and Bradley Grobler, who are all out with long term injuries.
“It has
really been a tough task to select the team to face Nigeria without some of our
regular players, but we have to soldier on. These injuries could not have come
at the worst of times when we really need to collect all three points because
we are well aware the importance of doing this,” Baxter told the official
website of the South Africa Football Federation.
“The
positive side, however, is that this gives us a chance to introduce other
players into the squad, and these are players we have been monitoring, so it
not like a knee-jerk reaction.
“This helps
us to ensure that when we qualify for the tournament we have an even bigger
pool of players to choose from. I am also confident that the players brought in
will do a good job.”
Bafana
Bafana beat the Super Eagles 2-0 in the reverse fixture last year, but Gernot
Rohr’s men have bounced back and now top the group with nine points.
“I must
admit this makes the upcoming clash all the more interesting. Remember we beat
them 2-0 in the first leg in their backyard, so they will come here trying to
avenge that, on the other hand we want to regain the top spot which we
relinquished with the draw away to Seychelles. The good thing is that
qualification is still in our hands,” Baxter added.
FULL LIST
Goalkeepers:
Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs), Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United), Darren
Keet (Bidvest Wits.
Defenders:
Ramahlwe Mphahlele (Kaizer Chiefs), Motjeka Madisha (Sundowns), Siyanda Xulu
(Maritzburg), Thulani Hlatshwayo (Wits), Innocent Maela (Pirates), S’fiso
Hlanti(Wits), Buhle Mkhwanazi (Wits) Thamsanqa Mkhize (CT City).
Midfielders:
Vincent Pule (Pirates), Lebohang Maboe (Sundowns), Hlompho Kekana (Sundowns),
Fortune Makaringe (Maritzburg), Teboho Mokoena (SuperSport), Tiyani Mabunda
(Sundowns), Thulani Serero (Vitesse), Thembinkosi Lorch (Pirates).
Strikers:
Lebo Mothiba (Strasbourg), Percy Tau (Royal Union), Dino Ndlovu (Zhejiang),
Themba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns).
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