Why Algeria could be perfect Bafana preparation for Nigeria showdown

Bafana Bafana’s friendly draw with Andorra on Thursday has garnered unnecessary criticism from some South African supporters, who seem to have forgotten that only weeks ago their national team came home with a bronze medal from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Seen in isolation, a draw with European minnows Andorra is not ideal, and Hugo Broos’ comments on Andorra’s previous results were unfortunate, but this was a makeshift Bafana side, a chance for Broos to take a look at some of his squad players. A 30-hour trip to Annaba in Algeria also can’t have helped, and Bafana created enough chances to win the game, as well as shooting themselves in the foot with an absolute howler from goalkeeper Ricardo Goss.

There were both positives in the performance of Sekhukhune attacker Elias Mokwana and Orlando Pirates’ Patrick Maswanganyi, as well as negatives in concerns about a reliable back-up goalkeepeer to Ronwen Williams, and the ongoing search for a reliable Bafana goalscorer.

The friendly against Algeria on Tuesday also needs to be taken for what it is, preparation for the far more important 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria and Zimbabwe in June. But with a first choice Bafana side on the pitch, there is a chance for Hugo Broos’ tried and trusted to gain further momentum from the third-place AFCON finish in the Ivory Coast.

North African powerhouse

Algeria are a North African powerhouse, whose performance at the AFCON, where they finished bottom of their group, is not a reflection of the quality of player in the Desert Foxes squad.

In front of a passionate home crowd, and with a new head coach to impress in Swiss mentor Vladimir Petkovic, Algeria should be favourites to get a second friendly win on the trot, after their thrilling win over Bolivia on Friday.

Bafana, however, proved themselves masters of upsetting the odds at the AFCON, as they took down Morocco in the last 16, and dragged Nigeria right to the wire in the semifinals.

With Nigeria to come away from home in the World Cup qualifiers in June, the kind of confidence a win in Algeria can add to the Bafana memory bank cannot be underestimated.