Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has emphasized the need for a stronger mentality to overcome Congo in their crucial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday (19:00).

Despite their lower FIFA ranking, Broos warns against underestimating the Congolese side, who arrived in South Africa just a day before the match.

The South African national team has faced recent challenges in these qualifiers, including a late draw against Uganda and a narrow victory over South Sudan when the qualifiers started in September. Broos believes that a focused mindset is essential to secure a win against Congo, who currently sit third in Group K.

“Today is the qualifier for the AFCON and if it’s not Congo or Nigeria or whatever, it’s a qualifier for AFCON,” said Broos. 

“For me, it is not important on who is the opponent. Of course, because one team is better than the other, but the preparation for those games are all the same.”

The coach has been dealt a blow with the loss of Jayden Adams due to disciplinary reasons and the injury-forced absence of Thalente Mbatha, Siyabonga Ngezana, and Sphelelo Sithole. Despite these setbacks, Broos remains optimistic about his team’s chances.

“What I see from my team again, as I said in the beginning, I was a bit uncomfortable with all the replacement of players injured, but when you see that in training the mentality of those guys the way they did the training, the things they try to do what you asked, it satisfies you a lot,” Broos admitted. 

“I can see behind the microphone that we will be ready on Friday to play that game in a good way with the right mentality and that we have a big chance to win. But you have to play the game first before whether you win or lose.

“So, if you are not well prepared, if you are not ready for the game, you risk losing and you saw against South Sudan, and we had a lot of trouble because we were not ready for that game. 

“For different reasons; it had nothing to do with the mentality, but I have spoken about it because the PSL had not started, and you have to be on our best. You need to have the mentality.”

Bafana Bafana will look to secure a victory against Congo on Friday, before traveling to face them again in the return leg next week on Tuesday.