Mosimane faces midfield reshuffle as Mokoena and Modiba miss Eritrea qualifier

Pitso Mosimane will have to alter his midfield for Bafana Bafana’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Eritrea after Teboho Mokoena was ruled out through injury.

Aubrey Modiba has also failed to recover in time to feature in the Group D match at the Al Salaam Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, leaving Mosimane with further selection decisions to make.

The Mamelodi Sundowns pair have not trained since Bafana Bafana travelled to Cairo following their 2-0 victory over Guinea at Orlando Stadium last Saturday. The immediate departure gave the team time to rest and settle before preparing for tonight’s fixture.

Bafana Bafana are top of Group D after beating Guinea and will be aiming to maintain their position with an away victory.

Mosimane demands respect for Eritrea

Mosimane has warned his players against underestimating Eritrea, saying their presence in the qualifying group underlines the need for a professional approach.

“The most important thing is to give respect to the opponents because they qualified to be in the group. That’s more important. You saw them against Eswatini and they managed to qualify, so we respect them for that,” he said via the Bafana Bafana media team.

The coach also identified Eritrea’s main attacking threat, pointing to a forward who plays in Egypt and has been a consistent goalscorer.

“They have their striker who scores all the time. The guy is even playing in Egypt. He is fast, he shoots from any angle, whether left or right. He is deadly on set pieces and penalties also, so one important guy we have to look after,” Mosimane said.

He added that Eritrea had also impressed against Kenya, who needed a late equaliser in Kenya.

“They’ve been good. They gave Kenya a scare also. Kenya had to equalise at the end in Kenya. That’s a big one and it really shows that you have to respect because Kenya is a good team. We have to make sure we look after those important issues that I have mentioned,” he said.

Bafana aim to repeat Guinea performance

While stressing the quality of the opposition, Mosimane said his players must retain the positive attitude and discipline shown in the win over Guinea.

“But we don’t forget ourselves. We are a good team, we played well last time. Yes, we missed a few chances and we need a little bit of improvement. But we stay positive,” he said.

“We played proper and respected the country, and that’s what I expect the boys to do, to show respect to the national team and the flag. I am happy with the result and even the attitude was good, so we need to show the same attitude against Eritrea.”

Bathusi Aubaas could replace Mokoena and partner Sphephelo Sithole in central midfield, while Samukele Kabini is likely to start at left-back in Modiba’s continued absence.