A former Morocco star has insisted that Bafana Bafana will create problems for the Atlas Lions in their crunch 2023 Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 tie.
Former Raja Casablanca winger Driss Belamri believes his former national side have not been at their best during the course of the competition, displaying signs of inconsistency.
Read: Morocco coach: This time it will be different against Bafana
The Atlas Lions secured their place in the knockout stage of the tournament after picking up victories against Tanzania and Zambia and claiming a 1-1 draw with DR Congo, with the north African giants finishing top of their group with seven points.
Belamri, however, feels the 1976 AFCON winners have not been at full strength, adding that their round of 16 opponents Bafana will pose a threat to their goal of reaching the quarter-final stage of the continental showpiece.
"The Moroccan national team is suffering from a lack of consistency in its level during its participation in the African Nations Championship, and the South African national team will create problems for Morocco in the quarter-finals (sic)," he said, per Veto.
He went on to add that, despite the expectations placed on the shoulders of the biggest stars from Africa, many of them have failed to live up to this.
"There are many great players who did not perform at their usual level, led by the Algerian Riyad Mahrez," he continued.
Algeria were forced into a shock early departure from the Ivory Coast after placing last in Group D, having failed to record a single victory.
South Africa, meanwhile, will be relishing the opportunity to go as far as they can at AFCON 2023 after recovering from a poor start in the group stage.
Read: Tunisia boss: Why I quit after crunch Bafana AFCON tie
Hugo Broos' side suffered a 2-0 defeat to Mali, but then bounced right back with a 4-0 victory over Namibia in their next game. They then played out a goalless draw against Tunisia to secure their spot in the last 16.
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