Coach Hugo Broos has emphasised his belief that South Africa can defeat Namibia in an Africa Cup of Nations Group E match at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo on the evening of Sunday 21 January 2024. Kick-off is at 22h00 CAT.
Current form
South Africa got their Afcon off to a poor start, suffering a 2-0 loss at the hands of Mali on Tuesday night. Prior to that, Bafana had recorded a 0-0 draw with Lesotho in a pre-tournament friendly, and a 2-0 loss to Rwanda in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in November 2023.
Namibia, meanwhile, got their Nations Cup up and running with a first-ever tournament win, defeating heavyweights Tunisia 1-0 thanks to a late strike from Deon Hotto. Prior to that, the Brave Warriors had recorded a 0-0 draw with Ghana in a pre-tournament friendly, and a 2-0 win over Sao Tome & Principe in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in November 2023.
Team news
South Africa may look to sharpen up in attack by replacing Evidence Makgopa and Thapelo Maseko with Zakhele Lepasa and Mihlali Mayambela. Siyanda Xulu could also be on the chopping block after an error-prone showing against Mali.
Namibia have no reported injury issues and coach Collin Benjamin is likely to mostly stick to the same XI that did such a great job against Tunisia.
What was said
“Again, I think the performance was good, though not good enough. Now we play Namibia, we have to win that game,” said South Africa coach Hugo Broos after the 2-0 defeat to Mali. “If we draw, it’ll be tough to go into the knockout. We can win that game. I’ll tell the boys to ‘go just like you played today’. (But) I’m sure we can win.”
He added, “We lost the game on two facts. First, missing the penalty; secondly, the physical power of Mali in the second half. I think if we scored the penalty, the game should be different. But that’s comments after the game that does not change the results.”
“This is huge for Namibia. Namibia has always been getting beatings; us as a country, we get beaten politically, economically and in a lot of spheres,” said Namibia coach Collin Benjamin after their win over Tunisia. “So what these Brave Warriors did was to bring some restoration in Namibia as a country. We are all proud.
“They had hunger, and for some of them, this is the last Afcon. So they will go into the history books of Namibia as heroes, as Brave Warriors, for their efforts in this tournament. Those are the things that drive them. We are really proud. It’s a proud moment to be Namibian. We fought a good fight.”
Players to watch
South Africa: Themba Zwane was at the heart of much of South Africa’s attacking play against Mali, though it was notable that as he faded in influence, so did the team’s passing rhythm. Bafana Bafana will need Zwane to again get the team’s forward play ‘clicking’.
Namibia: Deon Hotto scored a superbly-taken goal against Tunisia to underline his status as one of Namibia’s most technically-gifted players. His pace and experience will be crucial against South Africa, and he’ll be hungry to perform strongly against the country where he plays his club football.
Head-to-head
In head-to-head stats, South Africa and Namibia have met in 13 previous matches. Bafana Bafana have claimed seven wins compared to two for the Brave Warriors, while four games have been drawn. The teams’ most recent meeting was a 0-0 draw in a friendly in September 2023.