AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Benni McCarthy likens Kenya’s clash with South Africa to ‘David versus Goliath’

Kenya coach Benni McCarthy has described Friday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against South Africa as another “David versus Goliath” encounter, highlighting the difference in resources between the two teams.

McCarthy will come up against his South African counterpart Pitso Mosimane when Kenya travel to Orlando Stadium for their Group D fixture, having previously faced him during his spells in charge of Cape Town City and AmaZulu, while Mosimane was coaching Mamelodi Sundowns.

The former Ghana and South Africa striker believes Mosimane has traditionally enjoyed an advantage because of the superior infrastructure and resources available to the teams he has managed.

“Coach Pitso has always had the upper hand because he has always been at places that had the infrastructure and the best of everything,” McCarthy said ahead of the encounter.

“For me, as a young coach, I always just tried to give my best and stay true to myself. Go out there and try and play the best way I can to make it difficult for whoever I am up against.”

McCarthy, however, believes his current squad has the quality to challenge South Africa if his players execute their plans.

“Tomorrow is another one of those cases. It’s David versus Goliath, and unfortunately, I seem to always be David. I’m never Goliath,” he joked.

“Technically, I’ve got a strong team. I’ve got a good team. If we get things right, I think we can give them a run for their money.”

The Kenyan coach says his immediate objective is to ensure his side produces a competitive performance as they continue preparations for next year’s AFCON tournament.

Kenya will co-host the competition alongside Tanzania and Uganda, and McCarthy is using the qualifying campaign to assess his squad and identify the players capable of delivering at the tournament.

“For us, it’s to go out there and give a good account of ourselves. Let Bafana sweat a little bit,” he added.

“We lost against Guinea and drew against Eritrea, so it looks like a walk in the park for Bafana. But I think the performance, attitude and mentality the players show tomorrow will mean that we can build for AFCON coming next year.”

South Africa head into the encounter after winning their opening two Group D matches, while Kenya have collected just one point from their two September fixtures.

Today’s meeting at Orlando Stadium presents McCarthy with an opportunity to test his squad against one of the group’s early pace-setters as Kenya continue their preparations for the continental showpiece.