WHAT’S ON AMAJITA

FOLLOWING their 1-1 draw with hosts Niger in their opening match of the

Caf African Youth Championships, the temptation would be for Amajita to try and come up with a different game plan.

It is the way many teams often go. And when the next opposition is as formidable as the Nigerians whom the South African Under- 20s square up to in their second Group A match, that desire to do things differently could be even stronger.

Coach Thabo Senong though, has been around for too long to know not to fix what ain’t broken.

A World Cup experience in 2017 in South Korea, plus recent back-to-back Cosafa Cup titles has taught he to have his teams remain true to who they are.

“Our strategy is not to lose our own identity or style of play,” Senong said.

“But we can’t start changing now because we are here. We have a way of playing – which is being organised when we attack, defend or holding the ball.”

What they can change, however, is their state of mind going into the match and Givemore Khupe says they will be brimming with confidence when they walk on to the pitch of the Stade General Seyni Kountche tonight (5.30pm) against the Nigerians, who beat Burundi 2-0 in their opener.

“Since we have a good coach and technical staff, everyone is prepared for this game,” he said. “We know that Nigeria is a very good team, so we get motivated playing against them.

“We believe we’ll have a good challenge.”

Khupe, who captained the side against Niger in the absence of skipper Khulekani Kubheka, added that they did well in terms of playing to the demands of the game despite getting just a point.

“It was part of the game that we had to do most of the work in the first half,” he said. “Niger are the hosts and it was the first game, so they had the ‘12th man’ (the fans) in their favour and the president was also watching. But I think it was a positive result.”

Going into this encounter, the South Africans will be extra motivated by their clean bill of health in the medical room and the return of captain Kubheka – who was suspended for the opener after receiving two yellow cards during the qualifiers.

With a top-two finish in the two groups ensuring a place in the knockout stages as well as automatic qualification for the World Cup in Poland in May, Amajita are still safe for now.

And victory today will put them in the driving seat for yet another participation on the ultimate stage. –