Africa-Press – Eswatini. Libya national team Coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic is not taking Sihlangu lightly.
The former South Africa’s DStv Premiership giants Orlando Pirates coach, in a pre-match interview ahead of the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) World Cup Qualifiers opener against Eswatini national team Sihlangu, conceded that Dominic Kunene’s troops could prove a hard nut to crack. The game has been penned for the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, South Africa at 3pm today.
‘Micho’ said they respected Eswatini as a national team which recently held the champions of Africa Senegal as well as Burkina Faso to a goalless draw in the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers. He said the results against these powerhouses of African football showed that the country had invested well in their team. “The team has quality individual players, who play as a team. I must say that they have a team that is extremely competitive and we are looking forward to the game. May the best team win tomorrow (today),” Sredojevic said.
Training
He also revealed that they started training last week and they had two acclimatising sessions since they arrived in South Africa. “I am happy with the commitment of my young boys which is complimented by two experienced players. I believe in getting good results, but as I had said earlier that may the best team win in the game,” he said.
Meanwhile, his counterpart in Sihlangu gaffer, Kunene, said the team was doing well and he was expecting a tough game as Libya were equally good.
“We have watched some of their clips and noted some of their weakness, which we will capitalise on,” Kunene said.
He said they were aiming for the three points but would apply a cautious approach, but also be able to create scoring chances. “We understand ‘Micho’s philosophy; he is a good coach, we are expecting a highly tactical game that will be played at high intensity and we are ready for that,” he said. Kunene also said first choice goalkeeper Khanyakwezwe Shabalala was ready for selection and all the players were looking forward to the match.
Exciting
Today marks the start of what could be an exciting journey to the finals in 2026. The African qualifiers will be played across two rounds. The first will be contested in the form of a group stage, with nine groups of six teams each. Each team will play two matches, home and away, against each of their opponents. The top finisher in each group will qualify for the World Cup.
The second round will pit the four best runners-up in two one-off semi-finals, followed by a final. The winner of this second round will participate in the FIFA Play-off Tournament against other confederations. Canada, Mexico and the United States will stage the global soccer showpiece in 2026.
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