South Africa’s Bafana Bafan  will be hoping third time’s a charm when they face Mali in their Africa Cup of Nations  Group E opener on Tuesday in Korhogo.

Bafana have met The Eagles twice in the biennial showpiece, with their first clash dating back to 2002, before meeting in the event again in 2013. With both matches coincidentally played on the same date, February 3 – the second in a quarter-final – it was the west Africans that reigned supreme.

They won the first match 2-0 on home soil before winning the second 3-1 on penalties, after the match at Moses Mabhida Stadium ended 1-1 after extra-time.

“It’s going to be a very tough game for them. I hope they are all in good spirits and the coach has a game plan … he studied Mali,” Igesund said.

“I hope he watched videos. I am sure they are getting ready. It’s the real test for us. We wanted to qualify. Mali, as we all know, are a good team. When I was in charge, Mali knocked out us on penalties.

“It was a hell of a game. We led 1-0 and they kept going. It’s going to be a great game.”

In their preparations, they blew hot and cold, drawing matches that they were supposed to easily win against the so-called minnows.

They drew their last friendly, which was played behind closed doors, against Lesotho, something that didn’t please most of their partisan fans. With Mali and Tunisia tipped to pose a challenge to Bafana’s chances of exiting the group, many are already casting doubts over Bafana’s ability to beat them.