Fez – Ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers game against Morocco on Thursday, the South African team appeared confident in stacking the odds in their favor and sealing a victory against the Atlas Lions.
Speaking to the South African news outlet Safa news, Terrence Mashego, South African international and Cape Town City FC left-back, said that his team seeks to build on their recent history of playing world-class football against top-tier opponents and return home with an important away victory against Morocco.
“I think we are up for the task. With the game plan the coach has … we can come away with a result,” a seemingly confident Mashego outlined.
Yet, the 23-year-old left-back then went on to underscore that the game against the Moroccan team will not be an easy task as the Moroccan squad features some of the world’s best players such as Achraf Hakimi, who will be a major threat to the South African defenses on the right flank.
Having been ruled out of the much-anticipated game due to injury, Mashego appeared optimistic that his teammates would do the job of neutralizing the Moroccan team on the left.
“I was looking forward to this game, but we still have Lyle Lakay and Innocent Maela who I am sure will do the job,” the South African player said.
Morocco’s Atlas Lions and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana are expected to face on June 9 at the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Being the opening game of the AFCON qualifiers’ Group K, the game is widely considered a decisive one in both teams’ race to clinch an early qualification to the next Africa Cup, scheduled to take place in Cote d’Ivoire in 2023.
The Moroccan squad is looking forward to putting behind their disappointing defeat last week against the US national team and regaining Moroccan fans’ trust ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
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