ALL TO GAIN

Bafana Bafana will host Morocco in a final dead rubber Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in June, but there is plenty to be gained for both sides from this fixture.

- Nick Said

South Africa will host Morocco in their final Africa Cup of Nations qualifier safe in the knowledge that their place at the finals in Ivory Coast next year is secured, and they are now able to use this is a fixture to build towards that tournament.

Victory over Liberia in Monrovia in March means Bafana cannot finish outside the top two in their three-team pool, and so they welcome the 2022 World Cup semifinalists in the knowledge they can play with a little more freedom.

That is when Bafana Bafana perform best, able to get their playmakers on to the ball and spread it about without the pressure of needing to win.

Most coaches on the continent will tell you that Bafana are among the best 'passing' teams on the continent, and have been since readmission.

They possess technical quality that surpasses many teams, which makes up, in part, for their lack of physicality and at times fragile mental state.

Morocco should present a huge challenge, but Bafana coach Hugo Broos has been calling for these type of games to help his side develop, as evidenced by their suicide mission to then-world champions France last year, where they were trounced 5-0.

Just what type of squad Morocco brings remains to be seen, they have also already booked their place at the Nations Cup finals and the match comes at the end of a long season for the players.

But even for a side that has reached the World Cup semifinals and beat Brazil in March, Bafana remains a big scalp and they will also be eyeing some more history.