Czechia Defender Discusses Expectations From Bafana

Czech Republic defender Jaroslav Zelený revealed his expectations for Bafana Bafana ahead of their match this week. Both teams were preparing for their meeting scheduled for Thursday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the USA, with kick-off set for 18:00.

Zelený noted that Bafana Bafana lost their first match 2-0 to tournament co-hosts Mexico, while Czechia faced a 2-1 defeat against South Korea. He stated he believes the upcoming game will differ significantly from the previous outing against the Koreans.

The 33-year-old pointed out the contrasting styles of play, mentioning that while South Korea relied on speed, the South African team possesses more physically robust players. "The opponent will be typologically different. Korea had a lot of speed; South Africa has more power players," he expressed on the Czech national team website.

Zelený explained that he found Bafana's first match to be "crazy," noting it was their opening game where one of the teams might have played tentatively. He implied that both teams entered this match in a similar position, having both failed to score in their initial games, putting them at a disadvantage.

He confidently stated their aim was to prepare better than South Africa and achieve victory on that day. He remarked, "At the moment they are in last place, and they will perceive it the same way we do. It will be either or. As soon as they don’t do something to us, it will be a dead end for them. We need to prepare better than them and win the match."