This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
South Africa coach Stuart Baxter has revealed his strategy for the round of 16 game against Egypt at the Cairo International Stadium on Saturday.
According to Baxter, his team will be looking for an upset and will aim to quieten the crowd, which is expected to be around 75,000 passionate fans.
“I will be playing looking for an upset. The first thing will be to quieten the crowd,” Baxter said.
He added that the crowd's enthusiasm can be a double-edged sword, as it can both lift and weigh down the home team.
“The crowd will come with enthusiasm. It will be our job to quieten them down, to frustrate them. When the home team is playing the home support can lift them, it can also weigh them down. Players can sense it if the crowd is getting impatient,” Baxter explained.
South Africa struggled to qualify for the 2019 Afcon and only made it to the round of 16 as the last-placed team in their group, with two losses and a single win.
Baxter, who is in his second stint with South Africa, revealed that his team will want to show the South African philosophy of playing attacking football.
“It would be a national disaster if they lost to us. For us, if we lost, it will just be disappointment,” Baxter said.
