Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune believes that Bafana Bafana will face their toughest test yet in the qualifying stages for the 2012 CAF Africa Cup of Nations when they face seven times African Champions Egypt at the military Stadium in Cairo on Sunday.

The Chiefs shot stopper who has kept a clean sheet during South Africa’s previous three games in Group G is confident that Bafana will be up for the challenge and has also praised his backline for doing a sterling job in the qualifiers thus far.

Speaking prior to Bafana’s departure for Cairo on Thursday evening Khune said, “in three matches we have managed to keep things tight at the back, credit must go to the back four and the team as a whole, having not conceded is a good thing for us and it has definitely boosted our morale.”

Khune also let in that while he is aware that the Egyptians have the experience and technical ability to make life hard for them in Cairo, the fact that Bafana Bafana have been preparing for the game for the last ten days will help them for this tricky assignment on the road.

“We expecting a tough time, our preparations for the game have been extensive and I believe that we are up for the task, and it is possible for us to them a good run for their money.”

With Egypt presently at the bottom of Group G Khune has drawn the anelargy that playing them at this stage is like facing a team in a club context who are facing relegation.

“A good example is to look at them as a league team who are facing relegation and they will not look to sit back and will take the game to us, they are a fantastic team who have won the last three nations cups and we need to keep that in mind that they will not be looking to lose their crown without a fight.

They will also have the crowd behind them, that could also help us because if we keep them under pressure the fans will get impatient, if they play patient football the crowd will want to see goals and they will be pressured by their own fans.”

The game which is tenth between the two countries will be played at the smaller more compact military stadium and not at the imposing National Stadium, regardless of the venue Egyptian fans do have a reputation for getting behind their team in a passionate way.

Even though Khune is adamant Bafana will be able to handle themselves in Cairo, and when quizzed about whether they will be intimidated by the atmosphere in Cairo he was quick to reply.

“Not at all” he said before continuing on to say, “we have played in more

testing don’t circumstances, we have learn to adapt and not think about those

kinds of things or things like the weather, we can’t change those things what we

can change is the complexion of the game and we have ninety minutes to do that”.

The game to be played on Sunday is the third between South Africa and Egypt in

Cairo, of the two previous meetings between the teams on Egyptian soil they are

deadlocked with one win each.

A Bafana win or a draw will mean that Egypt will

be out of the race to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial

Guinea / Gabon.