Can Bafana Bafana to conquer star-studded Guinea? Mosimane responds

Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has lauded the depth of Guinea, but emphasised that his squad possesses players capable of winning any battle on the day.

Mosimane will begin his second Bafana tenure against the Syli National in the opening game of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday (3pm).

While he aims to start the campaign on a high, he acknowledges it won’t be easy against a West African side boasting a superior squad on paper, largely composed of overseas-based players.

Mosimane has already identified the key players who pose the greatest structural threat in Soweto, both offensively and defensively.

“Guinea have a top striker in Serhou Guirassy who’s playing for Borussia Dortmund,” Mosimane said. “Of course, he didn’t score this week, but he’s a top striker – a proper No. 9 and a big boy. We have to make sure we deal with his aerial threat.”

Following a country’s visit from Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli – who recently lost 2-1 to Mamelodi Sundowns in the Fifa African-Asian-Pacific Cup – Mosimane leveraged contacts within their technical staff to gather intel on Guinea’s Saudi Pro League contingent.

“They have players in Saudi Arabia. I was with the Saudis on Saturday,” Mosimane explained. “We spoke to find out about Mory Konaté, who’s at Al-Hazem, and what he’s been doing. I was with Al Ahli the whole week, asking questions and gathering the information we needed.

“They also have players in Poland, like Lamine Diaby-Fadiga, and Lass Kourouma playing at Girona.”

Despite Guinea boasting high-profile overseas names, Mosimane remains unfazed. He has backed his Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates core to demonstrate why they have dominated domestically and continentally.

“You know those West African team sheets – they are full of overseas-based players,” Mosimane noted. “Afcon has shown that it’s not about where you play, but what happens on the pitch.

“If our Sundowns and Pirates players can show that they are champions in the African-Asian-Pacific region, that gives us every reason to be confident.”