Shakes has faith in his squad selection

Cape Town - Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba believes that the 25-man squad he has selected will get the job done against Cameroon.

South Africa and the Indomitable Lions first meet on Saturday, March 26 at Stade Omnisport de Limbe in Limbe, Cameroon. Kick-off for that clash is at 16:30 (SA time).

The two nations will then take their battle to Durban for the second leg which will be played three days later - Tuesday, March 29 - at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban which kicks off at 19:00.

"These two matches are almost a make-or-break for us. If we want to resurrect our campaign, these are the matches that we will have to do well in," said Mashaba on the official SAFA website.

"I have heard people talking about must-win matches - and these are the ones. We have only one point and they have six - and to add salt to the wound, some of our key players are not active in their clubs, have lost form, are out injured or have just returned from injury.

"But that is no excuse, the show must go on - we have to put up a fight as though our lives depend on these matches. I believe we have selected a strong team that will deliver,” 

Bafana Bafana last played a competitive match in November last year when they defeated Angola in back to back 2018 Russia FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

"Unfortunately because of the non-availability of a FIFA date, we have not been able to prepare as thoroughly as we would have liked but lack of enough time to prepare should not blind from our mission, even though they have an edge over us as most of their players, if not all, ply their trade abroad and have been very active," added the Bafana Bafana mentor.

"I just hope the players are aware of what is at stake because these are no ordinary matches.

"Negative results will see us not active on the international scene for a long time, and if that is not motivation enough for boys to do well, then nothing will be.

"There are 12 points on offer and it’s up to us what we do with them. The reality is that it is still in our hands,” added the Bafana Bafana mentor.