Nkota believes AFCON knockout stage will spark return to top form

After starting the first game against Angola, Nkota has found himself on the bench for the last two matches, with Tshepang Moremi having raised his hand and never looked back. 

In the most recent game against Zimbabwe, the Al-Ettifaq attacker played the last 15 minutes and is working on regaining his form.

"It's just a matter of time before we sort out some of the issues. I think we will get the Mohau Nkota we want to see in the next game. This is a very tough tournament and it won't be easy until we go all the way, so for me it's just about manning up and working hard to help the team."

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The Saudi-based attacker was brought in as a substitute in the 76th minute for Tshepang Moremi, and this was just three minutes after Zimbabwe had equalised to make it 2-2.

Nkota says Zimbabwe were always going to be a challenge as seen during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Qualifying from a group with two neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe and Angola, as well as the most successful footballing country on the continent, Egypt, was not going to be a walk in the park.

Nkota was happy to make it through to the knockout phase.

Earlier this week, there was a pulsating encounter between Ivory Coast and Cameroon, which ended one-all. Bafana will face one of the two teams in an exciting game, and Nkota says they will be equal to the task in the round of 16...

"Whoever we play, we are always ready to go out there and show hunger and focus."