Broos To Rotate Squad In Ghana Friendly
With the international friendly against Ghana serving as Bafana Bafana’s final match before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off in Morocco on 21 December, head coach Hugo Broos says he will use the opportunity to give fringe players a chance to impress.
Bafana Bafana face Ghana at Dobsonville Stadium on Tuesday, before the squad departs for Morocco on Wednesday to begin their AFCON campaign. Ghana failed to qualify for the tournament and have selected a largely fringe squad, including players who featured in this year’s CHAN competition.
Broos has hinted that players such as Thabang Matuludi could be handed valuable game time, especially with the coach not yet having his full squad available during the recent training camp at the High Performance Centre (HPC) in Pretoria.
FCSB defender Siyabonga Ngezana was the last player to report for camp, arriving in Gauteng on Monday. Meanwhile, CD Tondela midfielder Sphephelo Sithole, who scored in Bafana Bafana’s 1–0 win over Zambia in November’s friendly, was in action on Monday as his club lost 3–1 to CD Nacional.
Burnley striker Lyle Foster and Club Brugge winger Shandre Campbell will travel directly to Morocco to link up with the squad.
“I think if everyone was here, we could already start with the team that will open the AFCON,” said Broos.
“But because not all the players are available, I can give opportunities to players who haven’t played much for Bafana Bafana yet. That’s important.”
The Belgian coach pointed specifically to Matuludi as one of the players who could benefit from the friendly.
“For example, Matuludi can get a chance to play and adapt to our style of play,” he added.
“I said it’s a training game, not a selection game, but on the other hand, I want to win it. We are not taking this match lightly, and I will not allow my players to do so.
“We will play the way we always play and try to win. Sometimes you have to take the bad things and turn them into something good, and the good thing now is that we can give other players valuable minutes.”
Bafana Bafana will open their AFCON Group B campaign against Angola on 22 December in Marrakech, before facing group favourites Egypt on Boxing Day at Stade Adrar in Agadir.
They will conclude the group stage against Zimbabwe three days later, once again in Marrakech.
