Bafana Bafana could not avoid a big nation in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16 tie after they were paired against Morocco. Former Bafana striker Shaun Bartlett has rated South Africa's chances against the Atlas Lions.
South Africa booked their spot in the round of 16 after a goalless draw against Tunisia saw them finish second in Group E with four points, only one point behind group winners, Mali.
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Hugo Broos' charges had the potential of facing either Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo or Zambia, depending on who topped Group F and after the Atlas Lions beat Chipolopolo after Bafana's game, the meeting against the North African giants was confirmed.
Morocco are considered as one of the favourites for the tournament after they became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup in the 2022 edition.
Bartlett, who was part of the first and only Bafana side to win Afcon in 1996, says playing against a side that will take the game to South Africa will only make Broos' charges better.
"I go back to the second game, people might say it's Namibia but still the performance for me showed that when we're up against an opposition that's gonna resist and pin our backs against the wall we can come up with brilliant performances," Bartlett said on SuperSport TV.
READ | Broos: We deserve to be in the next round
"And again, that's what we're going to look forward to against Morocco, we've done it before, we can do it again.
"If you wanna use that as the motivation, as the spirit of '96, I think it's about time this national team wins something again," he added.
Despite their favourites tag, Morocco also have the pressure for their golden generation to win the AFCON, as they've only won it once in 1976 and their best finish since then was a runners-up spot in 2004.
Bafana's last 16 clash with Morocco will take place next Tuesday evening.