Dylan Bettencourt
Bafana Bafana manager Hugo Broos demanded his side be given tougher fixtures in order to test their strength – and this weekend that test begins.
Bafana are much improved under the Belgian manager but have not yet come up against high-level opponents.
Bafana has an African matchup against Guinea who impressed during this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), making it to the round of 16.
On Tuesday they face the biggest possible test when they come up against World Cup champions France in Lille.
If Bafana and Broos have aspirations of competing in Afcons and World Cups, this is a fixture they have to show steel in to prove they have what it takes.
The game against France is not a must-win and more of a learning experience. It is a win-win situation for South Africa.
If Bafana cause a major upset and defeat Les Bleus, it will cause sheer jubilation around South Africa and if they lose there will be several lessons for Broos to bring back home and improve upon.
Bafana take on Guinea on Friday night at 7pm and come up against France next Tuesday at 9.15pm – both matches are live on SABC.
➤ Formula 1 is ready to light up our screens for the second consecutive weekend as they make the short trip to Saudi Arabia following the opening weekend in Bahrain.
Ferrari will look to prove that they are well and truly back at the top following their opening first and second place finish last weekend.
Red Bull will be hoping to avoid the nightmare of last weekend where both cars were forced to retire following battery issues.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit was used for the first time last season and following several issues with the track the organisers made adjustments to make the track more enjoyable for the drivers and fans.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix gets underway on Sunday with lights out set for 7pm, the race live on DStv channel 215.
➤ The all-important African qualifiers for this year’s Soccer World Cup are set for the first-leg this Friday with the second-leg on Tuesday.
Ten teams remain for the five spots up for grabs to compete at the prestigious World Cup in Qatar later this year.
Regardless of results, there will be shocks as big names will have to miss out on a spot at the competition.
Egypt taking on Senegal, Ghana going toe-to-toe with Nigeria, Cameroon facing Algeria, Congo facing Morocco and Mali up against Tunisia.
Any one of those teams losing out on a place at the World Cup will prove to be a major disappointment. The action kicks off at 5pm on Friday and concludes at 9.30pm.
All five games can be watched live on DStv channel 202 and 203.
Image source: @TimesLIVE
