Bafana Bafana veteran striker Benni McCarthy believes the international friendly match against Brazil on Friday, 7 September will be an opportunity for selected players to restore the pride of the nation.
McCarthy who was a late replacement for the injured Edward Manqele who had in turn replaced the injured Siyabonga Nomvethe said a good result against five-time FIFA World Cup winners is a tonic for good things to come.
"I am happy to be back in the national team. I missed out on the World Cup and it was a bitter pill to swallow, but it's all behind me now. I have been given a second chance and I hope to make the best of it," he said.
"We are playing probably the best team in the world, so we have to be at our best. The strategy by the new coach has been used effectively at Swallows and hopefully it will work well again."
The striker also believes this match should be a turning point for Bafana Bafana.
"It's a tough challenge but we are confident we can come out victorious because we have a lot of talented players in the team and make the country proud," added McCarthy.
Bafana Bafana had a rigorous training session in the morning and were given an afternoon off. The players seem to have grown in confidence over the last few days and are raring to go.
"Yes, we are aware this will not be an easy match and this should be a good test for all of us. We are working towards the 2013 Afcon tournament and the clash against Brazil will give us an indication of where we are," said Siphiwe Tshabalala.
The midfielder is among the remaining five players of the team that played against Brazil in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup played at the Ellis Park Stadium. South Africa lost the match 1-0.The others who were in that team are Kagisho Dikgacoi, Itumeleng Khune, Bernard Parker and Siboniso Gaxa.
"We have played three times against Brazil and we have learnt a lot from those matches, especially the last one where we lost narrowly through lack of experience. But I have great belief that this time around we will do better, not taking anything away from our opponents who are a formidable team," said Tshabalala.
The squad will have their last training session on Thursday morning (6 September) at the match venue.
Meanwhile Dino Ndlovu has already reported for national team duty and trained with the team in the morning. Bongani Khumalo and Gaxa are expected later in the evening.
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Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201209060182.html
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