In the wake of Nigeria's surprising 1-1 draw against Lesotho on Thursday, head coach, Hugo Broos, emphasises the importance of Bafana Bafana securing a victory at home in Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Benin.
Bafana are set to get their qualifying campaign under way with a Group C opener against Benin at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
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"Certainly, the draw of Nigeria [against Lesotho] on Thursday was a surprise, therefore again, winning at home is important," Broos said.
Broos recognizes the significance of capitalizing on home-field advantage, especially when considering the unpredictable nature of away games in African football.
"When you don't win at home, you have to catch those points away from home. We know, as do you, that it's very difficult to contest away games in Africa. People always talk about [world] rankings, that this team is ranked here compared to another team," Broos emphasized.
The coach acknowledges the challenges posed by seemingly lesser-ranked teams, often referred to as "minnows," and highlights the difficulty in securing victories against them.
"Every game against those teams [minnows] is difficult. We saw the results and again we saw their [Nigeria] result," Broos explained. "We know that it will be a tough game. I'm confident as I saw what this Bafana team did already in the past and this week in training."
Broos's side will be aiming to get off to the perfect start, while capitalising on Nigeria's slip-up, by registering two wins against Benin and Rwanda away from home on Tuesday.
Kick-off for Saturday's clash is at 15:00.
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