To secure their spot in the final four, South Africa must claim victory in their must-win Group A encounter against the island nation from the Indian Ocean. The match will take place at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium in Rocklands.

At the same time, over at Toyota Stadium, Zimbabwe must either beat Mozambique or play to a draw against the Mambas, in order to keep South Africa’s title hopes alive.

Aden McCarthy - Morgan Piek

Bafana Bafana find themselves under some pressure after suffering a surprise 1–0 defeat to Mozambique in their opening match — a result that went very much against the run of play. Despite dominating both that game and their 2–0 win over Zimbabwe on Saturday, South Africa were unable to capitalise on their chances against the Mambas, who were more clinical in front of goal.

A win for Mozambique will see them finishing at the top of the group as they did earn a point from their 0-0 draw against Mauritius on Saturday.

Vice-captain and Kaizer Chiefs defender Aden McCarthy says the team is sticking to their approach, with confidence running high within the squad.

“Coming to Bloemfontein ahead of the COSAFA tournament, we didn’t have much time to prepare,” said McCarthy.

“We’ve got players who are coachable, and considering we’ve all come off a busy domestic season, we just have to push through. We arrived with a fighting mindset — ready to compete and win matches.

“Unfortunately, things didn’t go our way in the first game, but we bounced back strongly against Zimbabwe, and now we’re fully focused on Mauritius.

Super fan Botha Msila - Morgan Piek

“As a team, we’re mentally prepared and strong on the pitch. There’s no team that can dominate possession like we can, and we’re drawing confidence from each other and the technical staff.

“We’re united in our goal, and we’ll work together to overcome whatever challenge comes our way.”

Both Group A matches kick off at 15:00 on Wednesday.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport