Head coach Hugo Broos has taken a bold stance over Mamelodi Sundowns players ahead of Bafana Bafana's final 2025 AFCON qualifier clash on Tuesday.
As many as 10 Sundowns players are part of the Bafana squad, which presents somewhat of a recovery and preparation challenge for Sundowns head coach Manqoba Mngqithi, who has the responsibility of sharpening his side for the upcoming Carling Knockout final against Magesi FC.
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The match will be played on Saturday, just three days after Bafana's fixtures against South Sudan.
With the national side having already qualified for the continental showpiece, there had been some level of expectation that Broos would rest some of The Brazilians' stars in prospect of the looming cup final.
However, speaking to media at the pre-match press conference, the 72-year-old maintained they were still part of the set-up until the camp was over.
"Sundowns players are, till tomorrow [Tuesday] after the game, players of Bafana Bafana and they stay players of Bafana Bafana," Broos responded when asked if the Tshwane giants had reached out to request a possible break.
Mngqithi has previously voiced his displeasure at some of his club's players being overused in the national team, even in non-crucial matches.
Such was the case for Themba Zwane, whom the coach expressed disappointment over being started against Congo-Brazzaville after unusually playing the full 90 minutes just three days prior against the same opponents.
Zwane suffered an Achilles injury and has been ruled out of action for approximately four months.
On the other, Broos did not explicitly state that the Sundowns players would be used in the South Sudan match and could have well poker-faced the question.
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It remains to be seen if the AFCON-winning coach does indeed stick to his guns.
"First of all, I want to keep all my players motivated for tomorrow. Secondly, I will not give information to my opponent. You will have to wait till tomorrow at 6pm," added Broos, responding to a separate question about his tactics.
"I don't like taking this game as a friendly. You know when you do that, you start changing everything. I might change the players. I don't want this.
"What I said in the beginning, I mean it. We want to finish first in our group and will put our best team on the pitch."
The match at the sold-out DHL Stadium in Cape Town kicks off at 18:00.