IT’LL be a clash of old friends and former teammates as Bongani Zungu and Keagan Dolly face off on foreign soil!
The two Bafana Bafana internationals forged close relations during their time at Mamelodi Sundowns and have continued to share a dressing room on international duty.
But there won’t be room for sentiment when Zungu’s Amiens host Montpellier of Dolly in their French Ligue 1 fixture at the Stade de la Licorne on Wednesday.
“It would be nice to face him,” said Zungu.
“We’re friends, but on the pitch, and against each other, it’ll be very intense. We’ll definitely put our friendship aside because we both want success for our respective teams.”
The two midfielders have had contrasting fortunes in Europe, Zungu having quickly established himself in the Amiens line-up, while Dolly has been a bit-part player for Montepellier.
Yet as Zungu missed the match against Nice midweek, Dolly got a run in their Coupe De La Ligue win against SCO Angers.
The good run would have improved Dolly’s playing chances after he’d more time twiddling thumbs at the La Mosson Stadium so far this season.
While Amiens are sitting outside the top 10 in 13th spot with 21 points, Montepellier are in a safer seventh place, though the two are separated by five points.
But Zungu said they were not too concerned, and that he was eager to continue his fine form.
“We’re happy with our position so far in the league,” he said.
“We don’t really focus on the teams behind us, but on the ones ahead of us three or four of the teams that are ahead of us also have a huge lead of point.
“So, we have to win games in the second round and fight to stay up. The club is very ambitious and have started to make a few signings. So, this will be good for us to continue the good work.”
Even though Bafana is often a thorny subject, Zungu remains firm on his 2018 goals, which include helping his team stay in the Ligue 1 and also playing more games for South Africa.
Without a ticket to the 2018 World Cup, Bafana are set to play a lesser number of games in the calendar year.
They will next play a competitive match when they host Libya in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in September.
The pain of not qualifying for the tournament in Russia still rankles for many Bafana fans, who made no bones about expressing their displeasure with the team’s epic failure.
But there have been positives to draw from for a few individuals at club level.
And Zungu has chosen to look at Bafana in a positive light.
“I’m looking forward to qualifying for the next tournament (2019 Afcon). Hopefully, we can improve at Bafana and start bringing success to the nation. It’s very important.”
