Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is not expecting any favours from already eliminated Zimbabwe when they meet in the crucial 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday (6pm).
Bafana are desperate for a win to remain in contention in the qualifiers before their final match against Rwanda at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday.
They head into the match on Friday tied on 14 points with Benin, but are second due to goal difference.
The Warriors are at the bottom of the group with four points, but Broos does not expect them to help SA win and qualify for the World Cup to be co-hosted in the US, Canada and Mexico in 2026.
“I think this game is one of the most important matches in the past 24 or 25 years,” Broos said at the prematch media conference in Durban on Thursday.
“By getting a victory, we have a big chance to qualify and a defeat we can stop dreaming. Zimbabwe have always been very difficult opponents and they will not be different this time.
“They are very motivated when I read their says and also we don’t expect favours from them. It was clear two or three weeks ago when they wanted to play this game in Botswana, when you played your four previous home games in SA, then you know you don’t have to expect favours.
“But we don’t need their favours if we want to win, we want to do it correctly and we believe in it. We are confident and what I saw in the last three days at training makes me happy.
By getting a victory, we have a big chance to qualify and a defeat we can stop dreaming. Zimbabwe have always been very difficult opponents and they will not be different this time.
— Hugo Broos
Bafana Bafana coach
“The boys are very motivated and they also know the importance of this game. We are more confident that we can do the job.
“It is important to win tomorrow [Friday]. If we win and God is with us, the last match against Rwanda can be different.
“Maybe we don’t have to win any more. We just have to try to win the game.”
With the two teams to face each other in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group B in Morocco in December again, Broos is not fazed as he said the mentality of the players was in the right space to win every game.
“Every game we start, we want to win. That is the mentality we have in the team,” he said.
“I’m confident that we can beat Zimbabwe because we have the right mentality for such games, not because we are a good team.”
Lyle Foster is expected to lead the attack and Broos will rely on him for goals.
Zimbabwe goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze said the remaining two qualifiers would form part of the preparations for the tournament in Morocco.
“It’s an opportunity for us because remember ... we are also preparing for the Afcon and we are not taking this game lightly, like every qualifier that we’ve played,” Chipezeze said.
“We went out there and we tried to compete at the highest level; therefore, these two games that are coming up are also a chance for us to prepare well, so when we go to that tournament, we know where we are as a nation.
“So, it is a good opportunity for us, starting with Bafana Bafana and Lesotho, so it’s preparations for us.”
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