Players know we must beat Zimbabwe - Broos

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says they are not looking too far ahead and are fully focussed on the crucial 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifier with Zimbabwe on Thursday night.

Bafana could conceivably secure top spot in their pool and passage to the next stage of qualifying if Ghana lose to Ethiopia at the neutral Orlando Stadium earlier in the day, and South Africa beat The Warriors later on.

That would be a dream scenario with a tough trip to Ghana to come on Sunday, but Broos says they will likely have to win to maintain their one-point advantage at the top of Group G.

"I'm very sure that the focus will 100 per cent be on Zimbabwe and they will go for it until the 90th minute," Broos told reporters. "Then we'll have just one game until the next round. That doesn't mean we'll be in Qatar, but we will definitely be in the next round.

"I don't think there can be more motivation for a player than qualifying for a World Cup, so it is not hard for me to keep the players focused.

"The players are ambitious, and they know that if we succeed they'll be at the World Cup and everyone will be there watching them.

"Their value as players will go up and they'll have opportunities to go to better teams. What more can a player wish for? I know I haven't known the players very long, but I know where their mentality is.

"I'm sure that on the pitch, there will be a team that will be playing for victory."

A worse-case scenario for Bafana is that they fail to win and Ghana overtake them at the top of the pool, leaving them needing a win in Cape Coast at the weekend.

"If we don't win the game, especially knowing that Ghana will have won, we will be in some trouble," Broos said. "We could be going there a point behind or more.”
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