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Cape Town - Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter admits that they will not underestimate Seychelles in their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
South Africa welcome the island nation on Saturday to the FNB Stadium in a must win match (kick-off is at 15:00) before playing the return leg three days later (Tuesday, October 16).
In a winnable match that ended goalless last month against Libya in Durban, South Africa could easily have suffered a defeat against the gutsy north African side.
Despite the draw, Bafana Bafana remain in a commanding position without defeat in two games as they hope to be one of the two teams to qualify from Group E.
Baxter says that nerves, anxiety and complacency are normally what affect the team’s intensity during games.
“If you manage those things well, then you will be able to get the kind of performance you are looking for in game situations. You have got to keep on working on it though,” Baxter said as quoted by SAFA website.
The Scotsman is happy with the vast talent in the squad adding that most of the players are young and have many years ahead in the Bafana Bafana set-up.
“We are now pushing for more younger and exciting players as compared to the more established ones,” he said adding that it would be folly to underestimate Seychelles by virtue of their lower ranking.
“We are not going to underestimate our opponents because we have done it many times before in the past. We want to approach the matches in a professional manner and make sure that we do well.”
Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana play Supersport United in a practise match on Wednesday as part of the preparations for Saturday’s AFCON qualifier.
