Hugo Broos targets positive start in Bafana Bafana's AFCON opener

South Africa arrive at the competition on the back of a third-place finish at the previous AFCON, raising expectations that the current squad could emulate the achievements of the iconic 1996 team led by the late Clive Barker.

However, Broos has urged caution, insisting that success will depend on his side taking the tournament one match at a time.

"The first game of the tournament is always very important. We need to take it one game at a time and get positive results that will help us progress in the tournament. We trust the players and we trust the work we have been doing with the technical team," said the Bafana mentor.

"We know Angola will try to make it very difficult for us, but we are ready for that challenge and the players know exactly what is expected of them."

The Belgian coach, who lifted the AFCON trophy with Cameroon in 2017, believes there are strong similarities between that successful side and his current Bafana squad — while suggesting the rebuilding process in South Africa has been even more impressive.

"To be honest, I think what we have done with South Africa is better than what I did with Cameroon. "We built a team here, and that team progressed step by step," said Broos.

"When you go to AFCON, you have ambitions, but you never really think you will get the chance to play in the final. For many of these players, the last tournament was their first AFCON. You don't expect too much immediately, but the progress we made was enormous. Cameroon, on the other hand, were already a team used to competing at AFCON."

Meanwhile, the clash against Angola will mark a significant milestone for Broos, as it will be his 50th match in charge of Bafana Bafana, further cementing his status as the longest-serving head coach in the history of the South African senior men's national team.