Sithole provides vital Angola intel to boost Bafana Bafana preparations

Sithole arrived in Portugal in 2017, having come from the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Academy to join Sporting Lisbon’s youth teams.

With most Angolan players having transferred to Portuguese clubs or grown up in that country, Sithole’s comments make sense.

Ahead of the clash between the two teams in Marrakech this evening, Sithole says his Bafana teammates are already aware of what to expect.

"I know 85 percent of them and I know how they play. I think everybody is ready and we know what to expect from them."

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Sithole is one of only nine players from the current 25-man squad who were in Côte d’Ivoire at the last edition, when the team returned with the bronze medal. He says this experience will come in handy...

That bronze medal has also brought a lot of expectations back home - that the team should better that semi-final achievement - a difficult mission considering the strong field in this tournament.

But it’s something the 27year-old says they are not focusing on.

"We are not trying to pay too much attention to the expectations, we are going to try and take it game by game, that is going to be the most important thing for us."

Sithole was one of three European-based players, alongside Lyle Foster and Shandre Campbell, who joined the team in Morocco.

Despite missing the first week of the camp, he says they are ready for the big mission.