Bafana Bafana head coach Stuart Baxter is confident his charges will not disappoint when they come up against Cote d'Ivoire in their opening Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) game on Monday afternoon.
The 65-year-old is aware of how South Africa was criticised for not doing enough to reach their full potential in the past, but he has faith in the current crop of players, saying the nation will see individuals who enjoy playing for their country more than anything.
"There might be times where South African national teams might have been accused of not achieving what their potential deserves in the field because of not having the right focus," said Baxter, as quoted by the official Safa website.
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"That will not be the case with this group of players. This group of players has a very small ego and very great South African heart. They enjoy playing for their country and I am sure they are going to give it their best," said Baxter.
South Africa is in what is dubbed the group of death alongside Morocco, Namibia and the Ivorians, and Baxter admitted that these are the best teams on the African continent.
However, he vowed not to get intimidated, especially by Cote d'Ivoire and Morocco who are strong favourites to finish in the top two in their group.
"We are playing against the best teams on the continent which we have in our group. We are not getting intimidated but to play with respect and at the same time, give the opponents the respect that they deserve but never fear them. We have to be better than they think, we have to be quicker than they think, better organised than they think and if we can do that, then I think they will then have to rethink their game plan," added Baxter.
Asked if Bafana will be cautious in their approach against the Ivorians, Baxter said: "You can’t sit back and hope they will make a few mistakes because once the machine is rolling it is difficult to stop them. So yes, we've got to respect what they can do but also make sure they have to deal with something we can do."
While Cote d'Ivoire and Morocco may be considered strong favourites to top Group D, Baxter warned that his charges are not afraid of anyone in this tournament, making reference to the 2-0 win Bafana registered over Nigeria in the Afcon 2019 qualifiers that his side can match anyone in this tournament.
"We have played good teams before. Nigeria has good players, but we beat them 2-0 away. What you will see is a humble South African side. We are not favourites to win the tournament but what you will not see is a South African side afraid of its opponents. This is a side that can match any side in this tournament," concluded Baxter.