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Shakes Mashaba gives advice to Baxter and Bafana

Cape Town - Former Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba says the national team must focus on winning against Libya and not be concerned about where the game will take place.

Mashaba was in charge of the national side from 2014 until 2016 and managed to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, but parted ways with Bafana after failing to reach the 2017 edition of the tournament.

However, Mashaba, who now manages relegation-threatened Witbank Spurs in the National First Division, takes the view that Stuart Baxter's men must have a positive outlook in their AFCON qualifier against Libya on 22 March in Group E.

Bafana need a point to qualify for the AFCON in Egypt in June whereas the Mediterranean Knights need a victory. The game is being played in a yet to be determined neutral venue due to turmoil in Libya.

He said: "Nobody is sure what is going to happen with regards to the Libya game. We are not sure who is going to be playing in our team and the coach said recently that he is leaving if they don't win that match. Those kinds of things are not good for us.

"We are worried about petty things, 'we don't know where Libya is playing. Whether they are playing on the moon or on earth, we have to go play them. We should not be worried about those things.

"We should worry about making up a good team, make the team to gel together, make sure that they are passionate and make sure that they understand what the mission of playing against Libya is. Let's make sure we have the right team to go play. It's a very crucial game for us.

"Let's not talk draw. Let's go win it and the rest will take place. Because if you say, then under draw it's lose. Let's talk win."

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