• Broos will aim to become the second Bafana Bafana Coach to defeat Super Eagles on home soil

• South Africa are ahead of Nigeria in Group C by a point

• Both teams met in the AFCON semi-final earlier this year

Ahead of the crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria in Uyo, South Africa’s head coach Hugo Broos, has hinted that he expects to face a different Super Eagles than the one his team faced in February.

The clash in Uyo is critical to both side in a bid to get their campaign back on track.

Memories of their previous encounter where Nigeria won 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 regulation result in the semi-final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Broos, expressed his team’s readiness to face Nigeria once again, stating their intent to surprise the Super Eagles with their tactical prowess.

Having meticulously studied the Nigerian side, Broos is confident in his team’s ability to exploit their opponent’s weaknesses.

“We will try to shock them again,” the Belgian said ahead of Friday’s encounter. “It’s a little bit different than the team we faced in AFCON. With Finidi George, they have a coach who thinks more offensively.”

“Jose Peseiro was more defensive, as I saw in the game against us. He was always instructing the team to fall back,” He said in an interview with FarPost.

“But I’ve seen two games against Mali and Ghana, and it’s different now. They take more initiative. They’re no longer the team that falls back and waits.”

Bafana Bafana are second on the table with three points — one adrift leaders Rwanda and one ahead of their placed Nigeria.