Newly appointed Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter faces a tough baptism when he officially steps into the boiling and unpredictable cauldron that is Nigeria on Saturday, reports the Sowetan.
Baxter was appointed as Bafana Bafana coach last month and the tricky 2019 African Nations Cup showdown against the Nigerians will be the Briton’s first match in the Bafana dugout.
The new South African national team mentor could not have asked for a more challenging first assignment as Bafana have never beaten their old foes in an official match after years of trying.
‘The reports I got from Nigeria (from his scout) is that offensively they are very strong‚ defensively they all work very hard.
‘‘They are on a good run of results‚ so they look very confident.
“So the way we are going to play is very‚ very much to try and be the biggest problem we can be‚ to be the nightmare that they do not want.
‘‘I think that sometimes it is about maybe not playing your best move but playing the move that your opponent doesn’t want.
‘‘So we are not fazed and we respect the Nigerians because they have quality in their team and they are on a long run of unbeaten games.
“But the meeting we had (on Sunday with the players) showed that we do not feel that we are just going there to make up the numbers. Far from it.”
Baxter acknowledged that his preparations have not gone the way he would have wanted‚ given that Bafana have to find a result away from home against tricky opponents who have had a longer time in camp.