South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane fears Benni McCarthy’s Kenya ahead of crucial AFCON qualifiers

South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane has warned that Bafana Bafana cannot expect an easy victory against Kenya despite their impressive results during the current FIFA international break.

South Africa have enjoyed a strong run in their qualifying campaign, beating Guinea, Eritrea and Egypt, but Mosimane believes their next assignment against Kenya will present a completely different challenge.

Bafana Bafana are scheduled to face the Harambee Stars twice during the November FIFA international window, with the two matches potentially playing a decisive role in their bid to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.

For Mosimane, the presence of former South Africa international Benni McCarthy in charge of Kenya makes the upcoming fixtures particularly difficult.

McCarthy, one of South Africa’s most celebrated footballers, has quickly established himself as a respected coach and Mosimane knows exactly what his former international colleague is capable of.

“I know how football is played. Football is not how you start, it’s how you finish. I’m a very conservative coach,” Mosimane told SAFA.

The Bafana Bafana coach admitted that, despite their encouraging start, qualification is far from secured and urged his players to remain focused.

“We have to qualify for AFCON. It looks good now, but we haven’t arrived. We have got Kenya back-to-back. So, that’s where everything will be, right.”

Mosimane expects McCarthy to make the two encounters extremely competitive and believes Kenya will not simply allow South Africa to collect maximum points.

“Benni will never allow us to win easy. He is a fighter by profession. In football, he is a fighter. Benni has a big heart for football.”

With the two matches coming before South Africa face Guinea again, Mosimane believes the Kenya fixtures could ultimately determine Bafana Bafana’s fate in the qualification campaign.

“It’s going to be difficult for us, those two games, they will determine our fate before we go to Guinea.”

The coach is also hoping that several players currently dealing with injuries will recover in time for the crucial fixtures.

“I hope the injured ones come back. Mbokazi played and Teboho is not bad, he will come back also to play.”

While South Africa have made an encouraging start, Mosimane’s message is clear: the job is not finished, and the back-to-back meetings with McCarthy’s Kenya could prove to be the defining test of their AFCON qualification campaign.