After the disappointing defeat to Mali, this week's Friday Debate questions if Bafana Bafana will be able to bounce back and progress to the knockout phase at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Bafana were beaten 2-0 against Mali in their opening match earlier this week and will now take on Namibia on Sunday, knowing that they have to get something out of the game to give themselves a shot at progressing past the group stages.
Soccer Laduma spoke to two individuals who have their say on whether or not the senior national team will be able to bounce back this weekend and keep their hopes of progressing alive.
Mokete Tsotetsi - former Kaizer Chiefs defender
In the game against Mali, we did not defend well. Defensively, we are not compact. We were scattered. We were focused on the attack, especially when you look at the mistakes we made. (Siyanda) Xulu was a little bit shaky. Defensively, we were poor. We missed a penalty and that happens and I like the character of Percy Tau because after that he kept on fighting. But we did not create enough chances in the second half and I think the coach took time to make changes to add power upfront. We are playing against Namibia next and they have players who know about in South African football and they played well in their first game (against Tunisia) and now they've got confidence. They are facing us knowing that they have a clinical striker in Peter Shalulile. It's going to be a challenging one for Bafana Bafana. We have to redeem ourselves. But I think we can bounce back and win this one. I think Bafana Bafana will win it 1-0. It's a must win so that we must stay in the race. So, I think it will be 1-0.
Diego Brown - former Stellenbosch left winger
I think it will be a very difficult game for Bafana Bafana. If the same Namibian team that played the last game against Tunisia pitches, then it will be a difficult game for Bafana. Bafana have nothing to lose, so we have to go all out and just play our football. We played well in the first half of our last game against Mali, but we always have to be aware of a good counter attacking team like Namibia with players that can hurt us. Namibia over the years have improved so much technically and tactically in every aspect. And they play with everything they have, you can see it. So I'll go with a 1-0 win for Bafana, especially when you look at our past results against Namibia. It will be a close one and very exciting, pending on our tactics from the coaching staff.
