Bafana to step up Afcon preps with Ghana friendly

JOHANNESBURG - Bafana Bafana will play Ghana in an international friendly as part of their Africa Cup of Nations tournament preparations in Dubai.Coach Stuart Baxter said there will be two separate squads – one to prepare for Cosafa and the other for Afcon – and he said both would be competitive.He said in drawing up the two squads, the technical team would also factor in the end of the season Premier Soccer League campaign, the Nedbank Cup final and the possibility of Mamelodi Sundowns playing in the CAF Champions League final.He said he would assemble possibly 18 players in Johannesburg for Afcon pending the arrival of overseas players and those from Sundowns.The Bafana Bafana coach said they intended to take a reduced squad of 22 players to Durban for Cosafa Cup tournament which would comprise new faces and some past experience. He also didn’t rule out the inclusion of one of two overseas based players in the Cosafa squad.The Afcon squad will play one international friendly in South Africa before leaving for a comprehensive and longer camp in Dubai where some of the players from Cosafa will join the Afcon team.In Dubai, Bafana Bafana will play a West African opponent, Ghana, before heading to Egypt where another friendly match against a North African side is on the cards.Baxter is off to Europe on Thursday where he intends to check on the likes of Joel Untersee, Liam Jordan and other players playing overseas.
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