Mosimane flags Eritrea threat as Bafana miss Modiba and Mokoena

Suleiman scored three goals during Eritrea’s 4-1 win on aggregate against Eswatini earlier this year in the AFCON preliminary qualification stage. The 26-year-old plays for Al Masry in the Egyptian Premier League and will be playing in familiar surroundings today. 

According to Mosimane, they will have to keep a close eye on him...

"Their striker scores all the time and the guy is even playing here in Egypt, he is fast, deadly on set pieces and shoots from any angle. We have to look after him as best we can."

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Only three players in the latest Eritrea squad are based locally, with most players based outside the country and arriving from 13 different countries. The country also faces a long-running battle with defections and athletes who use sport to seek asylum. After their game in Eswatini, about seven players absconded to South Africa, but on the pitch, Mosimane says they are not a team to be underestimated.

This past weekend, the Red Sea Camels shocked AFCON 2027 co-hosts Kenya and almost secured a historic win as the Harambee Stars had to find an equaliser just three minutes from full-time. Mosimane says this is a sign of a team that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

The two nations are separated by 130 spots on the latest FIFA rankings, with Bafana Bafana ranked 54th and Eritrea 184th globally, but Mosimane, whose side kicked off the qualifiers with a 2-1 win over Guinea at home, says they are going to show some respect to their opponents....

"I expect the boys to show respect to the national team and the flag with everybody fighting and working hard for the badge. I'm happy with the result and the attitude last time out, and we have to replicate that against Eritrea. It would be really nice to win away from home."

Meanwhile, Mosimane has also confirmed that they are going into this game without the Mamelodi Sundowns duo of Aubrey Modiba at left-back and midfield kingpin Teboho Mokoena, who are carrying injuries from the Guinea game.

The good news is that experienced defender and one of the senior players in the team, Nkosinathi Sibisi, has recovered from his injury and looks to be available for selection for tonight’s game.