PROFILES: Nemesis Nigeria await Bafana in Afcon qualifiers – but who else?

Bafana Bafana now know their opponents in their qualification pool for the 2019 African Nations Cup to be staged in Cameroon in two years’ time.

South Africa must finish top of Group E or as one of three best runners-up to return to the continental showpiece.

TMG Digital takes a closer look at who they must get past first.

NIGERIA

Nigerian football has been going through something of period of rebuilding‚ having missed out on the last two Nations Cup tournaments‚ in 2015 and 2017‚ the first time they have missed back-to-back qualifications since 1974.

Bafana ousted them from the 2015 qualifiers as Shakes Mashaba made a barnstorming start to his tenure.

• Bafana Bafana draw foes Nigeria for 2019 Afcon qualifiersSouth Africa have been drawn alongside old foes Nigeria in the qualification comoetition for the 2019 African Nations Cup finals to be staged in Cameroon. 

The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Cape Town and Bafana then let a two-goal lead slip in Abuja as they were pegged back to 2-2 in a game they really should have won.

Nigeria are now coached by the German‚ Gernot Rohr‚ and have made something of a revival in recent months‚ winning both their opening two matches in the qualifiers for the 2018 Fifa World Cup.

A 2-1 away win in Zambia was followed by an excellent 3-1 home success against powerhouse Algeria to leave them in pole position for a place in Russia.

The emergence of young stars such as Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho‚ Alex Iwobi of Arsenal and Wilfred Ndidi from Leicester City have rejuvenated the squad‚ as has the return to form of Chelsea star Victor Moses.

The Super Eagles are undoubtedly in a better place than they were when Bafana met them in the qualifiers for the 2015 tournament.

Bafana and Nigeria have met on 12 previous occasions with just a single win‚ five draws and seven defeats.

• Bafana Bafana's 2017 begins to take shapeBafana Bafana’s fixture calendar has become clearer after the draw for the 2019 African Nations Cup qualifiers was made on Friday night. 

LIBYA

Libya continue to be hamstrung by the fact that they cannot play their home games in their own country because of the internal strife that has blighted their country following the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Instead‚ they have to play in neighbouring states and‚ in the recent past‚ opted for Tunisia‚ Egypt and Algeria. Bafana travel to meet their North African opponents in their final pool match in November 2018.

The team did have veteran Spanish coach Javier Clemente in charge but he was sacked in October last year following a 4-0 loss to DR Congo in their opening match of the World Cup qualifiers.

He was replaced by former Libya international Jalal Damja‚ but their fortunes have not improved; they lost their second qualifier 1-0 at home (in Algeria actually) to Tunisia and were also recently beaten 2-1 by Senegal in a friendly.

Libya have only qualified for the Nations Cup finals three times – in 1982‚ when they were runners-up‚ in 2006 and 2012.

They also won the 2014 African Nations Championship with their locally-based players‚ a superb feat considering league football has been severely curtailed in the country.

Bafana have never met Libya in international football.

• Search for new Bafana Bafana coach to start next week‚ Safa confirmsThe South African Football Association (Safa) has confirmed it will get the ball rolling in their search for a new coach next week when members of its technical committee meet to discuss a possible replacement for the sacked Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba. 

SEYCHELLES

The real minnows of the pool‚ Seychelles are expected to be fodder for the bigger teams.

They have never qualified for the Nations Cup and have won only one out of 16 matches in the regional Cosafa Cup for Southern African nations.

The side has been coached by local Ralph Jean-Louis‚ but have found positive results almost impossible to come by.

They have won just one of their last nine competitive games‚ a 2-0 home success over Lesotho in October 2015‚ losing the other eight.

They have a squad made up entirely of home-based players and it would be a major surprise were they to get any points in the group.

Bafana have played Seychelles once before in a Cosafa Cup match in 2005 and won 3-0 thanks to a brace of goals on debut from Katlego Mphela.

  - TMG Digital