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Cape Town - Bafana Bafana are eager to land the 2016 COSAFA Cup trophy when they meet the Zebras of Botswana on Saturday, 25 June 2016 at Sam Nujoma Stadium in a much-anticipated final.
The final which coach Shakes Mashaba said is a must win, kicks-off at 18:30 (SA time).
Botswana will compete in their first ever COSAFA Cup final after beating DRC 5-4 on penalties while Bafana Bafana walloped Swaziland 5-1 in the other semi-final match.
The youthful South African side has taken this COSAFA Cup edition by storm having played some enterprising football which has stunned football critics.
"The morale in the camp is stunning and the boys are excited to be in the final; in fact everybody wants to be on the field tomorrow," said Mashaba on the official SAFA website.
"It is a great achievement for us to be in the COSAFA Cup final, it has been a while since we last conquered the region and doing it (getting to the final) with an Olympic squad just goes to show the potential this country has going forward.
"We have spoken highly of Vision 2022 and when an u23 team competes against the big boys and stand their own, it says a lot about where we are going," said Mashaba.
The national coach said having beaten Lesotho and Swaziland on their way to the final, they would treat Botswana with caution but were ready to give the Zebras a torrid time.
"They (Botswana) are an exciting team and they have always wanted to prove a point whenever they play South Africa. Tomorrow’s final won’t be an exception," said Mashaba.
Mashaba said the good thing was that they know the type of football Botswana play but the bottom line is for Bafana Bafana to stick to their game plan.
"Keep possession and applying pressure when we lose has been key to our success in this tournament," added Mashaba.
"Expect an exciting and attacking football tomorrow. We want to give the spectators their money’s worth."
