CHAN: South Africa must beat hosts Uganda to stand chance – Nteski

South Africa head coach Molefi Ntseki has said they will simply have to beat hosts Uganda in their TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) if they are to remain in control of their own destiny in the business end of the group stages.

Bafana Bafana currently sit a point behind on four, meaning victory is their only path forward. Algeria, still lurking with three points, face Niger and could pounce if the Kampala clash produces a decisive result in their favour.

“Things will be very interesting for all the teams that will be playing tomorrow. We as South Africa are fully aware that if we are to go to the next stage of this tournament, it is a must-win game tomorrow as much as it’s a must-win game for Uganda,” Nteski told reporters ahead of the game at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Uganda.

“In terms of our technical approach to this game, we are fully aware of the demands and expectations, the mental side of it in terms of how we carry ourselves going into this game, and the technical preparations. We have seen all the (top three) teams playing three matches and in the three matches, there were technical changes made in terms of player selection and the approach.”

He concluded: “As the coach has said, tomorrow is not going to be an easy one for us. But we are aware of everything and what we should expect, especially tomorrow. As South Africa, we need to win the game so that we can go through.

“Uganda also have to beat us to go through. So, it’s not going to be an easy one, but we’ve got to fight. We are ready and we need to be mentally prepared, which is one of the most important things for tomorrow’s game.”