Pitso Mosimane urges Bafana Bafana to respect Eritrea in 2027 AFCON qualifier

South Africa head coach Pitso Mosimane has warned Bafana Bafana not to underestimate Eritrea before their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Group D qualifier in Cairo on Wednesday.

The match will be played at Al Salam Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 18h00 South African time.

Bafana Bafana began their qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory over Guinea, while Eritrea earned a 1-1 draw against Kenya in Nairobi. South Africa currently lead the group with three points, with Kenya and Eritrea each on one.

Mosimane said Eritrea’s recent results showed why his players must approach the fixture with full respect. Eritrea also overcame Eswatini during their qualifying journey to reach the group stage.

“The most important thing is to give respect to the opponents because they are in the group. They are qualified to be in the group, that’s more important,” Mosimane said.

“We saw them against Eswatini and they managed to win, to qualify. So we respect them for that.”

The Bafana coach also identified Eritrea forward Ali Sulieman as a particular threat. Sulieman plays in Egypt and Mosimane said his finishing ability, pace and versatility made him a player South Africa would need to monitor closely.

“They have a striker who scores all the time. The guy is even playing here in Egypt. He is a top scorer, he is fast. He shoots from any angle, whether left or right,” Mosimane said.

“Deadly on set pieces and penalties also. One important guy is very tricky. We have to look after him.”

Mosimane wary after Kenya draw

Eritrea led against Kenya before the hosts eventually secured a point with a late equaliser in Nairobi. Mosimane believes that performance provided further evidence of the danger his side could face.

“They have been good. They gave Kenya a scare also. Kenya had to come and equalize at the end in Kenya, that’s a big one,” he added.

“That really shows that you have to respect because Kenya is a good team but they were up front, early goal.”

Mosimane said the result reinforced the need for Bafana Bafana to prepare properly for Eritrea’s key attacking threat and avoid lapses in concentration.

“So we have to be very careful of that guy. So we have to make sure that we look after those important issues I just mentioned.”