AFCON is well and truly underway and South Africa gets in on the action when they face Mali on Tuesday evening. There has been a lot of talk around the Bafana Bafana squad, millions in bonuses, SuperSport not offering coverage of the tournament – but now is the time where the focus shifts to the pitch and the real business is taken care of.
To Win (90 mins)
Mali 21/20
Draw 18/10
South Africa 11/4
Mali
Mali opens their 13th AFCON experience against South Africa on Tuesday evening. The Eagles were the runners-up in this competition in 1972 and will once again go for African glory in 2024.
After absolutely dispensing Guinea-Bissau 6-2 in their friendly warm-up game, I suspect the men from North-West Africa will feel they have reason to be confident. They have six different goal scorers find the back of the net which would speak to their ability to penetrate opposing defenses from anywhere on the field – but for coach Eric Chelle it is more the fact that they have now gone seven games unbeaten (winning six).
RB Leipzig’s Amadou Haidara and Spurs’ Yves Bissoouma (yes, it’s not just Son who leaves Spurs…) will be the two players in this team which garner a lot of attention, but Mali boast quality attacking options all over the pitch. They will look to put as much pressure on Bafana Bafana’s defensive line and if given the chance can hurt the men from South Africa.
South Africa
The 1996 African Champions make a return to the continent’s biggest competition, and at the risk of getting ahead of myself, they do with a little more positivity surrounding the national team. Hugo Broos has come in and made some commendable progress with everyone in the country beginning to take notice.
Mali will not be an easy opponent to open their campaign with, but the depth of our squad and the confidence in key players might be enough to give us reason to believe. It is no secret that the absence of Lyle Foster – who is currently still recovering from mental health difficulties – will be felt upfront. The Burnley striker has begun to rip up trees in the Premier League and coach Vincent Kompany has lauded him as a natural talent, born to play in the world’s strongest league.
Many eyes will be on Percy Tau, who has in recent years become the poster child of Bafana Bafana’s ability. There will be a lot of pressure on Tau upfront who I think could have been a little more aggressive had he been supported by Foster. Ronwen Williams maintains his place in goal for his country and I think the calm confidence he emits from the back is often amongst the most underrated aspects of our game.
Prediction: South Africa + BTTS (38/10)
Difficult game with two sides who will pride their ability to attack their opponents and put pressure on the final third…South Africa have been horribly frustrating insofar as putting games to bed is concerned but the quality in their team and the balance around the pitch makes them my pick to start their tournament with a win here. Get on at generous odds!
Written by: Ryan Liberty