Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has backed striker Zakhele Lepasa despite his recent form slump at club level with Orlando Pirates.
Lepasa has struggled to find the net for the Buccaneers in the last three games in all competitions this season.
However, Broos remains confident that the striker will rediscover his goal-scoring from. Broos included Lepasa in his 23-man squad set to face Eswatini and Ivory Coast in friendly matches this month.
Bafana will host Eswatini on 13 October at a venue yet to be revealed by SAFA, and the national will then travel to West Africa to take on Ivory Coast on 17 October, respectively.
Zakhele Lepasa started the 2023/24 PSL season like a house on fire, scoring 10 goals in 11 matches in all competitions.
But his form has since dipped with his last goal against Stellenbosch FC in the semi-final at the beginning of September.
Hugo Broos insists that the 26-year-old is a proven goal scorer, and he is currently low on confidence. The Bafana coach also attributed Lepasa’s lack of goals to Pirates’ poor form in recent matches, as the Soweto giants have only won one goal and lost three in their last four matches across all competitions.
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BROOS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT LEPASA’S FORM
“I’m not worried about him. We have three good strikers, three different profiles with [Lyle] Foster, with [Lebo] Mothiba, and [Bongokuhle] Hlongwane. I’m very happy about that,” said Broos.
“I said it a long time before, Lepasa is a very good striker. He just needs confidence. But like any other player, sometimes he couldn’t go like he was doing because he should be scoring goals.”
“One moment, you have a less moment. Maybe that’s what is happening now with Lepasa. Maybe it’s because the performances of the team are not so good at the moment.”