Publications
Partners
Cape Town - South Africa faces Gambia in their Group M encounter in their penultimate 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on Saturday.
Shakes Mashaba, who could be reportedly replaced by Gavin Hunt, mentioned in a press conference on Tuesday, ahead of his team’s departure, that Gambia will be unable to beat the South Africans despite having home advantage.
According to the Times Live website, Bafana Bafana need three points to keep their contention alive to qualify for AFCON, which takes place in Gabon.
Mashaba predicts that the Gambians, who are currently on two points, are unlikely to hold their own against the tourists at the Independence Stadium.
"Gambia have got to come out playing now," Mashaba said.
"They are going to open up - they must. And that's where we want them.
"When we played them here they had clearly come for a draw. Nothing else. They never attacked.
"They had nine players in their own half the whole time."
If South Africa claim a victory in Saturday's game and in their final Group M encounter against Mauritania, they could finish with nine points. However, they will have to rely on table toppers Cameroon to lose their last two games.
Kick-off is at 19:00 (SA time).
