06 Jul 2023

A battle of tacticians looms as The Zebras come face to face with South Arica’s Bafana Bafana in the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Cup clash to be played at King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban, South Africa tomorrow.

Coming up against each other would be the Zebras coach, Mogomotsi Mpote and Jwaneng Galaxy coach, Morena Ramoreboli, who is currently in charge of the Bafana Bafana side and interestingly, the two coaches had met several times in league games when they both coached clubs in the mining towns of Orapa and Jwaneng.

Tomorrow’s clash would seem a perfect time for the two tacticians to make tough choices as they execute their game plans in order to guide their sides to victory.

The Zebras take on Bafana Bafana beaming with confidence after beating Sihlangu Semnikati of eSwatini 1-0 in their first game on Wednesday while on one hand, Bafana Bafana played to a one-all draw against Namibia.

Mpote’s aim is to go all out and come up with good results against Bafana Bafana after a highly tactical game against eSwatini.

Progressing to the final of the tournament would be a plus for Mpote, but what remains crucial is to change his tactics in the match against Bafana Bafana since Ramoreboli is well aware of what he was up against given that he understood the Zebras players.

“Our main aim against Bafana Bafana is to come up with good results. The three points we collected in our first game should motivate players to go all the way and do what I know they do best when they want to win,” he said.

In an interview, Zebras’ striker, Molaodi Tlhalefang said players were aware of the ‘monkey on their back’ given that Bafana Bafana had always dominated the game and won whenever the two sides met.

“I think time is now for us as players to change the status quo and our win against eSwatini should be motivating enough for us to do our best and win. We are ready for Bafana Bafana,” Tlhalefang said.

The Zebras midfielder, Lebogang Ditsile also said players were ready for the Bafana Bafana side which had haunted the local side over the years and the aim was to turn the tables.

“We are here and we are on a mission. So Bafana Bafana should expect a fierce battle from us. Our team is made up of hungry players,” Ditsele said.

For Ramoreboli, he was certain that the Zebras would not change their system of play and would go into the field with the same attitude and energy they used against the eSwatini side.

“Tactically, there will not be a lot of changes. They are good in the midfield where there will be pairing Ditsile and Norman Mabaya. Generally, the game will be won by the side that wants it more,” Ramoreboli said.

Meanwhile, the Zebras are currently leading the Group A log with three points, Namibia and Bafana Bafana are second and third respectively with a point while eSwatini are last with no point. ENDS