As the two meet in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, on Saturday 17, a win will unite a divided South Africa.
Yes, getting that monkey off our backs will be like that mellow, favoured drink of yours- especially in this scorching heat we’re experiencing.
Super-Eagles, as the Nigerian team is known, only landed this morning to avoid the high altitude Jozi is familiar with. A bunch of the team is made up of international stars who are accustomed to chilly conditions and this could prove detrimental for them.
Bafana beat Nigeria in their last encounter, which means the hosts are unbeaten in the campaign and they’re yet to concede a goal after four matches.
SA find themselves in second position on the Group E log, a point behind the Super Eagles who are strong favourites to qualify for next year’s Afcon finals in Cameroon.
Under pressure coach Stuart Baxter has called a strong team in paper but what remains is- will the boys deliver what is expected of them?
The return of rejuvenated Soweto born Thulani Serero, has been welcomed by all, including his teammates as was evident during training.
The midfielder, who plays for Vitesse Arnhem in Netherland, made his return to the national team setup after more than a year, after reportedly snubbing call-ups to represent his country.
Asked whether Serero will be in the first starting line-up, Baxter said he hasn’t picked up the side but all depends on his commitment at training, attitude and what else he could bring into the game.
On the issue of attendance, the former Chiefs and SuperSport boss indicated: ”We definitely need a good crowd like what greeted us in Uyo in the reverse fixture, (the) truth is a small crowd won’t be an advantage to us.”
Whatever happens tomorrow Bafana must register a win because a draw or a loose could mean a dead-end to Cameroon in 2019.
Kick-off 3:30pm
Meanwhile, bad news for the public is the game will not be televised on the public broadcaster channel.
This follows another deadlock of meetings to renew contract to televise all national teams games on SABC.
The financially constrained broadcaster has been paying Safa R110m for the broadcast rights but the SABC offered just R10m for the same rights for a new deal after the initial contract expired in April.
This also means the Tuesday’s annual Nelson Mandela Challenge match against Paraguay in Durban will not be broadcasted.
At the time of publishing it was still unclear if talks would resume.
