Pretoria - Bafana Bafana skipper Itumeleng Khune and midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi have been ruled out of the national team to face Brazil in an international friendly match on Wednesday due to injuries.
Khune is nursing a twisted ankle which he sustained during the pre-match warm-up ahead of his club’s CAF Champions League match, on Saturday in Durban. He is expected to be out of action for up to 15 days.
The Kaizer Chiefs skipper will be replaced by Orlando Pirates keeper, Senzo Meyiwa who has already reported for national team duty.
Meanwhile, Dikgacoi is suffering from a backache and has since been withdrawn from the squad. He will not be replaced as Bafana head coach Gordon Igesund believes he has enough cover in that position.
With Khune out of this clash, it is expected that Thabo Nthethe will lead the side, but the coach still has to make a decision.
All but three players have already arrived in camp with the exception of Daylon Claasen (Poland); Thulani Serero (Holland) and Anele Ngcongca (Belgium). The trio is expected in South Africa later tonight.
Bafana will have their first training session at the Orlando Stadium this afternoon.
“I expect the players to put a good performance. We did so against Spain and I believe the players will give nothing less.
“It is surely going to be a tough match but I am certain the players will be competitive against the five-time world champions.
“We need these kind of games to gauge where we are and this is one match where you don’t need to motivate the players as they know what is expected of them,” said Igesund.
He said even though these are two different matches he is confident his players will be able to deal with the might of Brazil like they did with the Spaniards.
“We will be playing against a fantastic team, favourites to win the 2014 World Cup which they are hosting.
“I hope the supporters will get behind the team because every game we play we want to win, and with their assistance we can get positive results. I want my players to show hunger, commitment and determination in this match,” he said.
Players eager to face Brazil
Belgium-based Andile Jali said: “It feels good to be back, and it will be exciting to play against Brazil. We will fight for a win even though it is going to be a difficult match.
“As players, we don’t have to be motivated because just being in the squad to play Brazil is enough motivation. We did well against Spain because we were playing as a team and if we continue with the same mentality, we will do well again,” he said.
Mamelodi Sundowns tough defender, Thabo “Mr Cool” Nthethe said every player is excited to play Brazil adding that they are all hoping to be in the starting line-up for such a big occasion.
“The entire players who are at the camp know how Brazil plays and I believe we have all been studying their moves as to how we can counter them.
“In fact, I even have a picture in my mind of how to face a world-class player like Neymar, but we all know it will not be easy. We have done some homework on them and we know what to expect.
“We urge supporters to come in numbers as it is very motivating to play in front of big crowds because it gives us that extra boost. We hope not to disappoint them, but aim for a win to put some smiles on their faces,” he said.
Tickets are still available at Computicket outlets and at Shoprite, Checkers and Shoprite/Checkers stores countrywide. They are going for R50, R100 and R200. - SAnews.gov.za
