Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos must revert to a positive 4-3-3 system to keep South Africa's World Cup dreams alive against the Czech Republic. Photo: IANS
The good news for Bafana Bafana is that the Czech Republic are not Mexico.
The bad news is that they present an entirely different proposition. After opening their Fifa World Cup campaign with a defeat to El Tri, South Africa now face a match that could define whether their tournament remains alive or effectively ends before the final group fixture on Thursday (kick-off 6pm).
If Hugo Broos and his players are looking for encouragement, they need only study the Czech Republic’s opening match against South Korea. The Europeans possess one of the most dangerous set-piece attacks in international football.
Their combination of height, physicality and delivery has made them among Europe’s most effective teams from dead-ball situations, and it was from a set piece that they found the net against South Korea. For Bafana, that immediately becomes priority number one.
