South Africa coach Hugo Broos knows his side will be in a “tricky situation” if they lose their final Africa Cup of Nations group game to Tunisia.
Broos is slightly underplaying matters as Bafana Bafana will exit the competition with defeat, with reports in South African media suggesting he will be sacked if they go out.
A win or a draw will see them advance to the knockout stages while Tunisia, after taking just two points from their opening two games, must win and hope Mali’s match with Namibia goes in their favour.
Coach Hugo Broos and player Grant Kekana at the MD-1 press conference earlier today talking about how the team approached the last two games and what the recent win means #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 #AFCON2023 #BafanaPride pic.twitter.com/dVH7Jk9Y83
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) January 23, 2024
“Our first goal was to achieve the second round and pass the group stage,” Broos said on the tournament’s official website.
“Our opponent has a slight advantage since they have had a day more to prepare.
“However, after Sunday’s big victory (over Namibia), we have a boost of energy. The team will be ready.
“We know Tunisia is a great team. I think they underestimated Namibia, the match against Mali is what we will analyse. We will fight every second for a good result.
“It will be a very heated game. They are under pressure but the same applies to us because if we lose, it will be a tricky situation.”
5️⃣ teams booked their Round of 16 ticket 🎫
Who will join them today? 🔥
#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/v5mSyToVdR
— Total Energies AFCON (@TotalAFCON2023) January 23, 2024
Tunisia must win to have any chance of progressing.
Their boss Jalel Kadri said: “We know people are expecting a lot from us. We are in a difficult group and need to play well in order to succeed.
“We have to start with high concentration in the match. We have several players with experience, but we still need to work hard to get the victory.
“South Africa has a team of players who have experience on the continent from Mamelodi Sundowns. Tunisia needs to use its strength. SA is good offensively and we should be ready for that.”