Banyana’s Dludlu anticipating tough game against ‘physical’ Angola

Stand-in Banyana Banyana coach Simphiwe Dludlu says they will be up against a physical side when they face Angola in their opening Group A game at the Cosafa Women’s Championship in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday.

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Dludlu has been chosen to guide a Banyana side that consists mainly of fringe players for the Cosafa Cup.

The Banyana Cosafa Cup squad is full of players who will be making their appearance at the tournament for the first time, with Dludlu only having the likes of Koketso Tlailane and Nothando Vilakazi as players with experience.

“We are looking forward to a very physical game because Angola are that type of team. They use strength a lot but they also have players who can run off the ball. So, it is going to be tricky because only one player in the squad has played against Angola and that is Koketso Tlailane. The rest of the players are new in the set-up, especially playing against teams in the Cosafa region. So, we are preparing for the unknown and we are preparing for the worst,” said the Banyana coach.

Dludlu also added that weather conditions down in Gqeberha are not good, but says the team seems to have settled in well since they arrived earlier this week.

“We have settled well as a team in PE so far, though the weather is not so favourable, there is a bit of rain and we are anticipating that it is going to be tricky weather to play in, especially since we are in the coastal area,” she added.