South Africa national team head coach Pitso Mosimane says playing against Harambee Stars will be difficult for his side, given the presence of Benni McCarthy on the opposite dugout.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsMosimane, whose team will come up against Kenya twice in next month’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers, does not expect a walk in the park against Harambee Stars, this despite the latter having automatic qualification.##NAJAVA_MECA_10009342##“I know how football is played,” Mosimane told iDiski Times after leading Bafana Bafana to two opening victories against Guinea and Eritrea in Group D. “Football is not how you start, it’s how you finish. I am a very conservative coach.”With only one team apart from Kenya securing qualification from the group, the 62-year-old is well aware his team’s fortunes largely lie in their double-header against Harambee Stars on 11 and 15 November respectively.Harambee Stars drop to worst FIFA position in over eight years after winless international window“We have to qualify for AFCON,” the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach said. “It looks good now, but we haven’t arrived. We’ve got Kenya back to back, so that’s where everything will be decided. Benni will never allow us to win easy, you know that. He is a fighter by profession. In football, he is a fighter with a big heart for the game. It’s going to be difficult for us. Those two games will determine our fate, before we go to Guinea. Let’s see how we deal with Kenya."FKF's options in determining abandoned Kariobangi Sharks, Mombasa United playoffThe two games present an intriguing clash, with McCarthy, a South African native, coming up against his country’s team, and one in which he represented at the highest of levels.In an earlier interview, McCarthy downplayed the narrative that his heritage would get in his way of duty, saying: “For me, being born in South Africa, a beautiful country, a lot of love, and it will always have that. But I'm coaching Kenya, so there's no it's my country, unfortunately.Benni McCarthy puts patriotism aside ahead of South Africa showdownMy country didn't employ me, so why is my loyalty not with the country I was born in?" he added. "My loyalty is to the team that believed in me, gave me the opportunity, and thought I could help them move forward in the right direction. That's where my loyalty lies."Harambee Stars, ranked third in the group, will first travel away for the opening tie, before hosting the return fixture four days later.
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