Mosimane confirms Sibisi will sit out the Guinea game

Sibisi, the Orlando Pirates captain and key member of this team for the past five years, has sat out the last few training sessions. In this highly anticipated game, the Bafana defence will be up against the strong attack of Guinea, led by Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy. Mosimane says he’s got enough players in the squad to fill this role.

"Setback for Sibisi because he has an injury and he hasn't been training the last few days; he received a knock in training. So we are monitoring him. The doctor said he will miss this one. But injuries are part of national sports and football hence we select enough numbers because we don't know what we are going to face," said Mosimane.

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"Thank God we selected enough, and I think you know about Lebo Maboe – he is also out, hence we need to select as many as we can so that we can absorb or go through the hurdles with time without panicking. So that's what we have, and so far, so good."

With only one team qualifying alongside the hosts Kenya in Group D, Mosimane knows that tomorrow’s game is a must-win, with Guinea also seen as the main threat compared to Eritrea.

Mosimane’s opposite number, Paulo Duarte, is also under pressure to qualify the team for the AFCON, having missed out on last year’s edition in Morocco. But Mosimane says all coaches are under pressure to achieve at this level, and there is no exception.

Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams has emphasized the importance of support and a sold-out crowd for this game, to not only have that much-needed 12th player against Guinea but also give the new coach a good reception.