Bafana Bafana hitmen are confident their attacking talents can outgun star-studded Ivory Coast in their Afcon opener on Monday afternoon (4.30pm).
Dutch-born striker Lars Veldwijk is starting to click with Bafana’s European-based forwards Percy Tau and Lebo Mothiba in coach Stuart Baxter’s formations.
And Veldwijk, who scored 24 goals to fire his Sparta Rotterdam side to the Eredivisie, reckons they can put the heat on the Elephants’ defence when the side’s clash at the Al-Salaam Stadium in Cairo.
INSIDER INFORMATION: Star Bafana striker Lebo Mothiba on the left. Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix.
The 1.96m target man is hitting the back of the net regularly in training and wants to prove to the boss that he is ready.
He says: “I am adjusting to the Bafana Bafana life. Yes, it is a different culture from Holland, but I am really beginning to like it; it is getting better and better.
We are back on Big Stage where we belong! pic.twitter.com/NuOZLSlK38
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 21, 2019
“We had a good practice match among ourselves on Wednesday, and it was nice for me to score some goals.
“For me, it is only to prove to the coach that I am ready, and hopefully I showed him enough.”
Mothiba, meanwhile, hopes he and his teammates strike first after passing on information on Ivorian hotshot Nicolas Pepe, who he played alongside at Lille.
DANGER MAN: Ivorian Nicolas Pepe. Photo: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters.
He tells TimesLive: “Pepe, I used to play with him at Lille. Pepe is a very good player, he is fast, and good technically.
“I played with him for a year and I know his quality and that is what I am going to tell the centrebacks.
“We have to be careful and look at him, but the coach is doing a good job with that, telling the defence and everyone to be careful.”