With Themba Zwane unavailable to play his role as chief orchestrator in the Bafana Bafana squad, pressure is likely to fall on the shoulders of Patrick Maswanganyi to be the conductor, whether he starts or comes on from the bench.
Both Zwane and Maswanganyi hail from Tembisa and possess the type of skills that make life difficult for opposition defenders.
Zwane sustained an Achilles injury in Bafana's last 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Congo and is only expected back on the pitch in 2025.
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So, without his most trusted attacker, Hugo Broos has to find someone capable of finding a chink in the opposition armour and Maswanganyi, on a good day, can certainly turn on the style.
It might, however, take some time for the Orlando Pirates midfielder to fill the shoes of Zwane, who contributes with assists and goals.
Former Bafana Bafana attacker Lebohang Mokoena feels that pressure should not be placed on the shoulders of Maswanganyi to fill the shoes of Zwane.
"'Tito' is still going to need some caps under his belt for him to fill those shoes. I think it will take him some time and we should not put pressure on him," Mokoena said to the Siya crew.
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"Yes, he can do the job in that creative department, but to fill 'Mshishi's' shoes is going to really be difficult for him at this current time. He still needs to adjust to the national team. I have not seen much of him in the national team, so not yet. But I think he is a prospect. If he plays more into those pockets, instead of coming deep to collect the ball...I think he needs to get the ball more in that last third. He can (fill the shoes), but with time."
Bafana take on Uganda in their penultimate Group K AFCON qualifier in Kampala on Friday, before hosting South Sudan in Cape Town next Tuesday. Three points will be enough to seal qualification for the competition in Morocco next year.
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On Friday afternoon, Bafana Bafana will look for all three points when they take on Uganda in a crucial AFCON 2025 qualifier. Open a TAB account now and bet on Soccer 10, Mega 10 Jackpot, Soccer 13, and more at tab4racing.com.
