Talismanic Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana midfielder, Siphiwe Tshabalala, has talked up Bafana Bafana's strengths ahead of the team's Chan Group A clash against Mali on Wednesday (15 January) evening. A win for Bafana could see the national team qualify for the quarterfinals later this month.
Gordon Igesund's charges earlier got their campaign off to a fine start after a convincing 3-1 victory over Mozambique. They will no doubt be looking to follow this up with another good showing as they take on the physically imposing Mali at Cape Town Stadium.
Tshabalala, who had a fine opening game against the Mambas, said that while Mali were a strong and physical outfit, Bafana had their own strengths to counter the Eagles' size advantage.
He told Chiefs' official website, "We are all looking forward to the game against Mali. The importance of winning our game against Mali cannot be overstated. If we win this one, our chances of advancing to the next round will be enhanced. It is going to be a tough one but we will do our best to win. They have big and very strong players but our strength is playing the ball and keeping possession. Our movement on and off the ball is strong.”
The action gets underway from 17h00 in the Mother City.