There’s a lot at stake - Bafana Bafana skipper on Afcon mission

The goalkeeper has been in the thick of continental football at club level with Mamelodi Sundowns, who are among the favourites to win this season’s Caf Champions League competition considering the strength of their squad.

Williams will lead the national team in two back-to-back matches against Liberia this week, with six points all but confirming passage to Ivory Coast. 

"You just need to think about the magnitude of what's at stake for these two games. It's Afcon qualifiers, it's massive. It's probably the biggest tournament in the African continent so obviously, I've got my South African hat now, being in the South African camp. We know what's at stake, massive games coming up and the boys are looking forward to it," he said.

Bafana were last in action four months ago at the Mbombela Stadium when they faced Angola and Mozambique in friendly matches.

A draw and a win invited mixed reviews in the build-up to facing Liberia. 

"There were many positives out of that camp, obviously the fact that we didn't lose. We had two positive results. The negatives would be conceding two goals. You want to pride yourself in keeping clean sheets, especially at home because if you have a clean sheet it's one foot over the line because of the firepower that we've got upfront," he added.

South Africa will host Liberia at Orlando Stadium on Friday evening before flying out to Monrovia for the return leg, where their rivals stage an international match for the first time in three years.

Williams expects hostility. 

"We just need to focus and obviously going there, it's going to be hostile. Those games, that's where characters are built and that's where players are built. I'm looking forward to it, I enjoy those types of games and hopefully, the team will be ready for the difficulties that we'll be experiencing that side."