Pretoria - Bafana Bafana will be without Sweden-based midfielder May Mahlangu, striker Tokelo Rantie and Russia-based defender Siyanda Xulu in the friendly match against Lesotho on Sunday at the Setsoto Stadium in Maseru, Lesotho.
Mahlangu and Rantie will be playing for their clubs on Saturday, 1 June, while Xulu is a late call-up, replacing injured defender Siboniso Gaxa.
The three payers are expected in South Africa on Monday, 3 June, in time to travel to Cameroon with the national team.
South Africa travels to Yaoundé, Cameroon, on Tuesday, 4 June, to play the first of two Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
In the first match, Bafana Bafana face the Central African Republic (CAR) on Saturday, 8 June, while the second clash will be against Ethiopia in Addis Ababa a week later on Sunday, 16 June, at the National Stadium.
Mahlangu, Rantie and Xulu also missed Bafana’s first training session held at Germiston Stadium on Thursday.
Twenty-one players reported for national team duty, including overseas-based defender Anele Ngcongca, midfielder Dean Furman and defender Ricardo Nunes.
Bafana head coach Gordon Igesund is not perturbed that his players could be fatigued after a long and gruelling season.
“The players are a little bit tired, but that can be expected at the end of a long season. We have devised a training programme that will ensure that we don’t burn them out, but to get them ready for the two crucial matches against CAR and Ethiopia.
“I am positive they will be on top of their game by the time we face CAR. We can’t look for excuses as the players around the world have been playing just as many games,” said Igesund.
At the first training session, Igesund was working on possible combinations following a spate of injuries that have rocked the national team.
The injured Kagisho Dikgacoi, who has not been replaced, Gaxa and Tsepo Masilela (replaced by Nunes) all withdrew from the squad before the start of the camp.
“We are working on combinations, especially in defence, where the players haven’t really played together in the national team.
“We want to win the match against Lesotho, but the most important thing is to get the combinations right and take the confidence to the matches against CAR and Ethiopia.
“I believe we have players that are capable of holding their own in the national team. It’s just a matter of getting those combinations right. But yes, it is trying times for us, and the guys will have put up their hands and give us a good showing,” he said.
Bafana will travel to Lesotho today after their training session in the morning.
They will be without the eight Kaizer Chiefs players in the squad, as they will be attending their season-end club awards, which will take place tonight. - SAnews.gov.za
