Bafana Bafana vs Eritrea: Mosimane building depth despite injuries

Pitso Mosimane is already answering the tough questions about his second tenure as Bafana Bafana coach.

South Africa got their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign off to a perfect start against Guinea on Saturday (26 September).

With a clash against Eritrea approaching, here’s what Mosimane has shown from his first game back at the helm.

What we learned from Mosimane’s first game in charge

Mosimane took over from Hugo Broos, who saw Bafana beyond the FIFA World Cup group stage for the first time.

Much of the talk centred on Jingles’ decision to stick with the core team that made history in the United States.

Mosimane quelled the initial doubt as South Africa defeated Guinea 2-1 at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

Ime Okon scored for Bafana in the 30^th minute, before Seydouba Cisse drew the visitors level in the second half.

The ball then fell to Samukele Kabini, who scored the winner in the 77^th minute and saw his country top their pool.

This also means the Eritrea game, taking place at a neutral venue, will be a true test of how far Bafana Bafana have come.

Testing South Africa’s squad depth

Mosimane already has some challenges to face, including the long-term injuries that are stretching his team’s depth.

Left-back Aubrey Modiba sustained a tight hamstring against Guinea, putting him in doubt for the game against Eritrea.

Likewise, defender Nkosinathi Sibisi could also miss the game after a knock during training, with more updates expected.

They could join Lebohang Maboe, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, and Khuliso Mudau as impact players who are sidelined.

Mosimane acknowledged the reality while speaking to the media after Saturday’s win over Guinea:

“Aubrey’s got a tight hamstring, which is not nice for us, but at least we still have Basadien, right? And we still have Kabini. Hence, we have 30 players, and you can see that people are falling off, and we just played one match.”

What’s at stake in the Eritrea game?

With one more AFCON qualifier game taking place during the September-October window, South Africa are top of the group.

Kenya, who have already qualified as co-hosts, salvaged a late draw against Eritrea in Nairobi with a Ryan Ogam goal.

The Harambee Stars will face Guinea on Thursday afternoon in Conakry, according to the CAF website.

A day before, Bafana Bafana will face Eritrea in Cairo at 18:00, due to the hosts having no suitable venues for the game.

The team then remains in the city for a one-off friendly against Egypt on 4 October at 20:00, according to the SAFA website.

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