Canada coach Jesse Marsch has revealed he expects a strong start from Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana in their Round of 32 clash on Sunday evening.
Both teams have reached the knockout stages of the World Cup for the very first time, with Bafana advancing from Group A after their 1-0 win over South Korea, while the co-hosts finished second ion Group B after a 6-0 win over Qatar, a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina and a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland.
On Sunday, Canada are widely seen as favourites, even though they have only ever won one match at World Cup stage – the 6-0 over Qatar – and Marsch insisted his side need to be at their best to beat Hugo Broos’ men.
“We’re expecting South Africa to be very intense, to have a fast start, to be excited in spirit for this match,” he said in his pre-match press conference.
“It’s a big moment for their federation and their team.
“Broos has done a very good job in preparing them and getting them to be at their best, especially after the first match where they got those two reds vs Mexico and stayed strong in the tournament and found a way to be better as it’s gone on.
“We are very clear on the qualities that they have, we are very clear on what to expect, and it’s also a moment for us where we want to be at our best.
“We’ve talked a lot about from a physical perspective, getting stronger as the tournament was gonna go on, and now that we’ve got Alphonso back and helping him to be ready to perform, it’s a big moment for the team, a big boost for the team.”