TheCable

Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim Shakes Mashaba is determined to maintain his side’s unbeaten run in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when they take on Nigeria on Wednesday at the Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo.

South Africa booked qualification for the tournament to be held in Equatorial Guinea after beating Sudan 2-1 on Saturday and they can afford to lose the game against Nigeria, but Mashaba has indicated his determination to erase South Africa’s poor record against Nigeria at international level where they are yet to beat the Eagles in a competitive game.

“Nigerians don’t want to lose against South Africa, that alone will make this match a tough one and we also have the assignment to break the hoodoo that we always lose when we play against them. We have to go out there positive and believe we will do well,” Mashaba said in an official press release from the South African Football Association.

“Yes, there will be one or two changes to the playing personnel but we don’t want to break the rhythm of the team because they are doing very well. At the same time, we have to give other players a chance to see what they have to offer.

“We are defending well but there are still some things we need to do, especially in the middle of the park where we are not picking opponents tight and that will cause us problems especially against a team like Nigeria which is very good in that area.”

South Africa travel to Uyo for their final qualifier, which kicks off at 6pm Nigerian time.