South Africa coach Hugo Broos insists his charges are highly motivated to beat Ghana to the 2022 World Cup playoffs spot this week.
South Africa and Ghana are separated by just one point in Group G heading into the final two games of the qualifiers.
South Africa host Zimbabwe while Ghana play Ethiopia on the penultimate matchday. Both games will be played on Thursday in Johannesburg before the two teams meet in Cape Coast on Sunday.
South Africa will remain top with four points from two games. But Ghana cannot afford to drop points as they must win both games to topple South Africa at the summit.
“I repeat what I said before the qualifiers: we will do everything to be qualified for the next round. If it doesn’t succeed, it will be a disappointment for everyone, but not a disaster. Don’t forget, this team has existed for only three months,” Broos told journalists at a pre-match conference.
Broos said the overall benefits of their run so far would be immeasurable in ensuring that the squad was well prepared for their future endeavours and in the milestones that were key to retaining his job.
Despite his tentative sentiments around qualification, the coach is still keen to see his players give it their all to book their ticket to the World Cup.
The coach has warned his players against complacency when they face a Zimbabwe team that has nothing to lose after falling out of the race to qualify for Qatar.
“The most important thing is how we’re going to play, what we’re going to do on the pitch. We have to start the game not giving them confidence. This team (Zimbabwe) is coming to South Africa not believing that they can win, but trying to win. So, if we give them confidence from the beginning of the game, it will be more difficult than it is already,” Broos said.
“It’s not an easy game for us. But if we lose points, it will be our mistake. It will mean that we are not playing as we have to play and that we are not playing at our level. If we can do that [play at our level] we will win the game. We have to be ready from the first second of the game. That is important.