• Hugo Broos believe Nigeria were lucky at the 2023 AFCON

• Nigeria advanced to the finals after a shoot-out victory over South Africa

• Bafana Bafana have only won once against Nigeria away from home

South Africa’s head coach, Hugo Broos has confidently stated that his team holds the edge over Nigeria in their upcoming clash.

The statement comes as anticipation builds for Friday’s showdown in the 2026 World Cup qualifier between the two football Powerhouses.

This fixture is a swift renewal of the rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa, three months after a dramatic encounter in the Africa Cup of Nations semi finals.

In the previous encounter, William Troost-Ekong and Teboho Mokena’s regulation time goals saw the game decided on penalties.

Stanley Nwabali’s heroics between the sticks ensured that Nigeria secured passage to the final, saving crucial penalties from Mokena and Evidence Makgopa.

Looking ahead to the upcoming clash, Broos said his side can get the better of Nigeria this time.

“Let’s go to Nigeria and Zimbabwe, qualify for World Cup, everybody knows that everyone of us wants to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2026 but we are in front of two very tough games,” he said via Far Post.

“On the other side, we saw what we can do against them at AFCON, if we had a little bit of luck against them we would be in the final and not Nigeria…I think we were the best team in the semi finals, we could have won that. So, we don’t have to be afraid.”

The Super Eagles will host Bafana Bafana inside Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.