Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has played down suggestions that Kenya manager Benni McCarthy could have an advantage over South Africa ahead of their upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying encounters, despite his familiarity with South African football and several members of the national team.

Kenya are set to face South Africa in two important Group D fixtures this month, with the first meeting scheduled to take place in Orlando next week. The two sides will then meet again in Kenya on November 17 as they continue their respective campaigns.

South Africa currently occupy the top position in the qualifying group and will be hoping to strengthen their grip on first place as they pursue qualification for the 2027 continental tournament. Having featured in the 2023 and 2025 editions, Bafana Bafana are targeting a third consecutive appearance at the competition. Kenya, meanwhile, have already secured their place as one of the tournament's co-hosts.

Despite having qualified automatically, McCarthy will be keen to record positive results against his country of birth. The former Bafana Bafana striker understands South African football and has previously worked with several players who remain part of the national team setup. His experience could have given him valuable insight into their individual qualities and the team's general approach to matches.

However, Mosimane does not believe that McCarthy's knowledge necessarily gives the Kenyan coach a significant advantage. Speaking after announcing his squad for the upcoming fixtures, the Bafana boss explained that modern football provides coaches and their technical teams with enough resources to study opponents through video analysis and other available information.

To support his argument, Mosimane pointed to some of Europe's biggest clubs, insisting that knowing how a team plays does not automatically make it easier to defeat them.

"One would assume that everyone knows how Barcelona plays, right? Everyone knows how Arsenal are playing at the moment, right? You cannot miss Bayern Munich. Everyone has analysts, including four analysts, but does that mean they cannot understand how these teams play? Everyone knows your style of play," Mosimane explained.

He added that studying an opponent mainly helps coaches identify potential patterns and understand what a team might attempt during a match.

"The fact that I know how Benni plays does not mean I have an advantage at this point. It only gives me a little information and an understanding of how to identify patterns and what is likely to happen," he continued.

Mosimane also warned that teams do not necessarily stick to their usual tactical approach in every match, explaining that coaches can make adjustments depending on their opponents and the circumstances surrounding a particular fixture.

He further illustrated his point by referring to Orlando Pirates, noting that an opponent's knowledge of the Soweto club's playing style does not guarantee they will be fully prepared to face them at Orlando Stadium.

"What if they have changed the plan? Everyone knows how Pirates play until you get to Orlando Stadium, right? That is how football works," he concluded.

The two upcoming encounters are therefore expected to provide an interesting tactical contest between the coaches. Although McCarthy has considerable knowledge of Bafana Bafana and some of their players, Mosimane believes that the results will depend more on what both teams deliver on the pitch than on the information their respective coaches possess.

For South Africa, the immediate priority will be to maintain their position at the summit of Group D and take another important step towards securing qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

https://www.idiskitimes.co.za/bafana-bafana/pitso-shrugs-off-benni-intel-on-how-bafana-plays/