Johannesburg - Bafana Bafana defender Siyanda Xulu is loving his time in the national team set-up after gaining the trust of coach Hugo Broos.
The South African national team is in camp preparing for their upcoming battle against North African giants Morocco.
The teams, already confirmed as the two qualifiers from group K, will clash at the FNB Stadium on Saturday at 5pm.
Experienced centre back Siyanda Xulu, a member of the previous 23-man squad, has emerged as one of Broos’ most trusted soldiers in recent times.
The 31-year-old partnered Mothobi Mvala in the team's last qualification match as they secured a place in the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Xulu, who has discovered his best form in the colours of Azerbaijan’s Turan Tovuz, revealed that his performances for both club and country have been lifted by Broos’ honesty.
“He has done fairly well for the team and for me personally, I think he’s just one coach that has faith in me internationally and I really appreciate that,” Xulu said.
He then added: “But it comes with what I do on and off the pitch with my team in Azerbaijan so I’m very grateful for him, but then again he’s a very honest coach and he only believes in me because I perform for him.”
While the stocky centre back will be expected to hold down the fort in the back line, he will hope the nation’s attackers, mainly Percy Tau, will lead the side to a famous victory.
Tau of Al Ahly is fresh off winning a CAF Champions League title over the weekend, and Xulu believes having players like the former Brighton and Hove man contributes to a huge boost in confidence throughout the squad.
“I think it only helps the national team if you have such players of Percy’s calibre; he has done very well in the last few months,” he said.
“We all know what Percy can do and I think it’s only good for us to have a fit Percy because it contributes to our confidence as a team, because we know for sure that whenever we get opportunities up front we might get something because of his mere presence.”
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