Bafana coach Broos warns South Sudan can put up a fight

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has cautioned his team against overconfidence when they meet 169th-ranked South Sudan in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Juba on Tuesday. 

Heat of around 35°C and an artificial surface at the recently-revamped, 10,000-seat Juba National Stadium are sure to be levellers as the 57th-ranked South Africans look to get their Group K campaign back on track after Friday's disappointing 2-2 starting draw against Uganda at Orlando Stadium. 

Broos said he had watched South Sudan's recent games and their ranking should not fool Bafana into thinking the Central/East Africans will be an easy three points. 

The minnows, admitted as a Confederation of African Football and Fifa member in 2012 after the country's independence from Sudan in 2011, started their Group K campaign with a 1-0 defeat away to Congo in Brazzaville on Thursday. 

They inaugurated Juba National Stadium with a 3-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Sudan in June, but drew 1-1 away against Togo days before that. 

“I think we will have a tough game tomorrow because [that’s what] South Sudan [gave] in their last three games — against Togo, [Sudan] and Congo,” Broos said in his prematch press conference in Juba on Monday. 

“We know it's an aggressive team and I don't mean that negatively — they're very dedicated. And also the synthetic pitch is not easy. So I expect a very difficult game tomorrow.” 

Broos was asked by the home media if he expects his team to bounce back strong after an opening Nations Cup qualifier where Thalente Mbatha's 95th-minute goal had to salvage a draw. 

“You never know that you are going to win the game, if it's against South Sudan or Algeria or whoever. You just try to win and this is what we will try to do tomorrow,” he said. 

“It's a different game on a different pitch against a different opponent.

“The Uganda game was difficult but normally we should win that game because there were so many chances Uganda didn't have and they scored the second goal from a mistake by our keeper, but we had three, four, five other chances to score. 

“We will see how the game goes tomorrow.” 

Veli Mothwa, standing in for injured captain Ronwen Williams, fumbled a shot by Rogers Mato that gave Uganda a 53rd-minute 2-1 lead. 

The AmaZulu goalkeeper seems likely to make way for Orlando Pirates' Sipho Chaine, who has more front-line game time for his club this season, with Broos expected to also make a few outfield changes.