Bafana Bafana captain, Thulani Hlatswayo, has reacted to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations draw after it has been confirmed that the South African senior national team will be in Group D with Ivory Coast, Morocco and Namibia.
Bafana will get their AFCON campaign underway with a clash against former champions of the competition Ivory Coast on June 24, as also confirmed from the South African Football Association.
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The second match will be against Namibia on June 28, with the last Group match set for July 01 against Morocco.
"This is a very interesting draw, and I am very happy with it. I am glad we did not get so-called small nations because we seem to be at our best when we face big-name countries, so I am confident we will do well. Mind you, we started the qualifications with a win (vs Nigeria) and ended with another fine win (vs Libya) and both matches were away – not only that, but we also qualified without losing a game, and that means we are doing something right. So we have to continue where we left off and I believe with the nation behind us we will get it right," Hlatshwayo has been quoted on SAFA's official website.
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"What makes this more exciting personally is that I have never played against Ivory Coast and Morocco at senior level, but I am very aware of what they are all about. They are physical but that is not an issue for us as we have faced similar opposition before. So I am really looking forward to these matches. I believe we are more experienced now, and we are not intimated by anybody anymore – but we worked hard to get here, and that's what gives me confidence ahead of the tournament," added the defender.
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