Pretoria - Bafana Bafana head coach Gordon Igesund says the team will play their friendly match against the world champions, Spain, tonight like a cup final.
The two national teams will face each other at FNB stadium in Johannesburg tonight at 9pm.
“We will play this match like it is a cup final, and I am going to use three strikers to make my intentions clear. Spain will come out with guns blazing but we are prepared for it.
“Spain are taking this match as seriously as we do because as world champions, you are successful because you do well … so they would not want to come here and be defeated,” said Igesund.
“No player at this level holds back on the field of play because they have many quality players in the Spanish squad, so that will give us a very good game.”
The South Africa Sports Star of the Year and Bafana Bafana captain, Itumeleng Khune, said his focus was firmly on the clash against Spain.
“It is every player’s dream to face the world champions. All the players are excited and eager to play this match. We want to do the country proud, so we will go out there and give it our best,” said Khune.
South Africa and Spain have met three times, with La Roja winning all three encounters.
The first time was in a World Cup group stages match in the 2002 Korea and Japan tournament. The other two meetings were in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.
Only four players of the current Bafana Bafana squad played the last match, and they are Khune, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Kagisho Dikgacoi and Bernard Parker. - SAnews.gov.za
