Pressure on Bafana - Mali coach
Mali coach Patrice Carteron says the pressure will be on host nation South Africa when the two sides meet in the quarterfinal of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday night.
Bafana Bafana finished as winners of Group A with a win over Angola and two draws against Cape Verde and Morocco.
Mali on the other hand finished behind Ghana in Group B having lost to the leaders, but they managed to collect maximum points against Niger before holding on for a draw against DR Congo.
"South Africa will be the team that everybody sees in the semifinals, and so all the pressure will be on them,” Carteron said.
“The stadium will be filled with people expecting Bafana to win, and we could put more pressure on them if things do not go according to their plans."
While the Eagles will have to contend with tens of thousands of home fans who will fill the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night, Carteron believes his players will be inspired by the current unrest in Mali.
“We will be thinking about the 15-million Malians who will be watching the game,” he said.
“I know the news from the north of the country has been better, but they are still suffering.
“The whole team has spoken about what is going on in Mali, and the players are determined to give them more joy and good news.
“For that, the 90 minutes against South Africa will be very important. We will give it our best to be good opponents for Bafana Bafana.
“We will be at our best. We need to regain our strength, but then we will be fine.
“I just hope that Bafana Bafana fans don't stand outside our hotel the whole night before the game and blow their vuvuzelas," he quipped.
