Bafana Bafana duo Innocent Maela and Percy Tau are eyeing some revenge in Morocco when they tackle the Atlas Lions in Thursday night’s Afcon 2023 qualifier.
Both stars suffered Caf club competition final defeats to Moroccan teams, with Maela’s Orlando Pirates losing to RS Berkane in the Confederation Cup decider, while Tau and Egyptian giants Al-Ahly went down to Wydad Casablanca in the Champions League final.
And Maela says he and Tau are keen to get some payback in their Group K opener after the two Witbank boys made the long trek to Rabat as travel buddies.
The 29-year-old tells Safa’s website: “[Tau] was telling me about the final and how bad it was to lose.
“He want to create a bit of history for himself [by winning the Champions League].
“And I told him about my final.
“But club football and international football is different – the difference is that the international level is higher.
Bafana Bafana training late last night (9pm) at the sport complex adjacent to Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. #BafanaPride #AFCON2023Q #AFCONQualifiers pic.twitter.com/I9f9nfpqZm
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 7, 2022
“So we have to make fewer mistakes in our preparation for this match, because one mistake can decide the match.
“We face a tough game against a very good team, but we know that we are capable of getting a result here.”
Maela has been nursing a thigh injury in the hopes of getting the nod at leftback from boss Hugo Broos, with PSL Defender of the Season Lyle Lakay also lus to face off against Moroccan rightback yster Achraf Hakimi.