Bafana chillaxing

In an unprecedented move, Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba shifted his morning training session to later in the afternoon, telling his players to let their hair down ahead of their grudge match against Nigeria tonight.

Dean Furman and his teammates did not wait for a second invitation, and were spotted at the Canal Walk Shopping Centre yesterday.

But the midfielder said their Africa Cup of Nations Group A qualifier against the Super Eagles at the Cape Town Stadium will need a far more aggressive approach.

"Nigeria are African champions and they had a terrific World Cup in Brazil and it's going to be a very difficult game," said Furman before posing for pictures with fans.

"The belief in the squad is there, and we want to go out there and play to win, with the hope that we get maximum points from our first two games."

Bafana beat Sudan 3-0 away in Khartoum on Friday last week - a victory that silenced critics of Mashaba's new-look side.

Furman said South Africa would have to rely on nimble-footed players to have an edge over the burly and physical Nigerians.

"Within our squad we have tremendous skill and the boys are unbelievable with the ball. But we have to match Nigeria's physicality, we have to be up for the challenge. If we match them in that department we can go score goals."

Mashaba could also ring in the changes if his earlier training sessions are anything to go by.

Thabo Matlaba and Andile Jali sat on the sidelines for much of Monday's drills, but late medical tests will determine the extent of their niggling injuries.

Mashaba hinted at tweaking his approach, meaning Sibusiso Vilakazi - two-goal hero against Sudan - could be roped in to start.

"It's not always the best players that start the game. In modern football there's what we call a technical weapon - good players start from the bench," Mashaba said.

"All three subs against Sudan paid dividends - maybe they wanted to show me that they don't belong on the bench."