South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has insisted his side will not be distracted by individual threats as they prepare to face Egypt in their second Group match later today.
Bafana Bafana lock horns with the record African champions at the Adrar Stadium, with both teams coming into the encounter on the back of opening-day victories.
Egypt edged Zimbabwe 2-1 in their opener, while South Africa recorded a similar 2-1 win over Angola to make an encouraging start to the tournament.
Despite the presence of global star Mohamed Salah in the Egyptian ranks, Broos says his focus remains firmly on the collective strength of the opposition rather than any single player.
“They are such a good team. Why should we focus on one player? We have to be prepared to beat the team rather than [seeing to it that] Salah doesn’t play well or [Omar] Marmoush doesn’t play well. No, for us, it’s the team that’s important, and we don’t really focus on one player," Broos.
The Belgian coach, however, acknowledged the step up in quality posed by Egypt, while urging his players to trust in their own abilities.
“There are some precautions we have to take. It’s not a team like Zimbabwe; it’s not a team like Angola. This is a team a level higher, but on the other hand, we don’t have to forget our qualities. We don’t have to forget the way we played in the past," he added.
Kick-off is scheduled for 15:00 GMT.
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