Lyle Lakay hoping Bafana Bafana start COSAFA semi-final on front foot

The hosts have had to come from behind in their two group fixtures against Botswana and Eswatini, winning them both 2-1, but Lakay wants to avoid chasing this must-win knock-out clash.

"I made a joke and said, 'Maybe we should start the game 1-0 down,' because whenever we're 1-0 down, we tend to react, which for me is also a good thing because it shows the strength and fight in the team," said Lakay.

"But in saying that, if we can maybe start better, we would make it easier for ourselves because then we don't have to chase [the game] every time.

"But, I think [that's the kind of] mentality you need in a tournament, it doesn't always have to be pretty, as long as you win – the fight and willingness is there, and then I think we will succeed."

Bafana, currently coached by Morena Ramoreboli for this tournament, have also been the biggest crowd pullers for the organisers, and 'Lalas' says this is a big factor. 

"[They are] our 12th man, and the other night when we played in – I think – Thabo [Cele] comes from there, so his hood, which as a player you always want – to play in front of your people, and for all of us it's always good to play in front of a big crowd, which gives you a bit more confidence."

Both COSAFA Cup semi-finals – Malawi vs Lesotho (15h00) and Bafana Bafana vs Zambia (18h00) – will be LIVE on SABC Sport Channel, SABC + and sabcsport.com.