2019 AFCON Qualifier: We are not afraid of Nigeria – Bafana Bafana
Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter says he and his team holds no fear over facing Nigeria’s Super Eagles in Saturday’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the FNB Stadium, Johannesburg.
Baxter, who is gunning for his third win in three games when Bafana face the Super Eagles, expects the three-time African champions to have vengeance on their mind ahead of the clash.
The British gaffer led South Africa to a 2-1 win over Nigeria in 2004 in a Mandela Challenge before defeating the Super Eagles 2-0 in a 2019 AFCON qualifier in Uyo in June 2017 – his first match in his second stint at the helms.
“We do have Nigeria first‚ in the small matter of an African Nations Cup qualifier‚” Baxter told the Sowetan, a South African online newspaper.
“Everybody knows the list of injuries that we have had. Everybody knows what I said in the first press conference (a week ago) that despite that (the injuries) I want to speak about the players that we do have because even though we respect Nigeria, we do not fear them.
“I think we still have enough talent‚ enough desire and if we can structure a game plan in the next three or four days‚ I think by the time we run out onto the FNB Stadium, we would be confident‚ we would not be complacent‚ because Nigeria have just come from a (2018) World Cup (in Russia).”