Banyana Banyana captain Janine van Wyk, who missed out on a place at the FIFA Women's World Cup due to injury and Gloria Brown, have both given the country a reality check over their opening fixture with group opponents Sweden.
Banyana beat Costa Rica 2-0 in their friendly last weekend before their opening World Cup group game against Sweden on Sunday morning and the confidence is high in the country that Desiree Ellis' charges stand a good chance against the Blue and Yellow.
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However, Van Wyk has cautioned the country that Sweden, ranked third in the world by FIFA, are on another level.
"Sweden, our very first opening match is going to be a very tough challenge, ranked third in the world. They were runners up in the Olympics in 2021, Canada beat them," Van Wyk said on SABC's SoccerZone.
"They had a disappointing run at the Euros where they were favourites to win in 2022, England beat them in the semi-finals. They are very strong opponents, very organised.
"They have experience of back-to-back world cup matches and tournaments and key players that play UEFA (Women's) Champions League, they've just recently beaten Panama 5-1," she said.
Meanwhile, SABC Sport analyst Gloria Brown also weighed in on Banyana's challenge against Sweden and explained that the Blue and Yellow are not one of the favourites to win the World Cup for nothing and it's going to be "a big ask" for Banyana to get over the line against them.
"They are rightfully so (favourites), they've earned their stripes over the years. This is a powerhouse in terms of women's football. Technically sound," Brown said on the same show.
"The way they prepared against Norway (3-3), Denmark (lost 1-0), even Germany (0-0), it speaks volumes about this team. If ever there was a time for them to win the World Cup, the word is out that this is their moment. One is hoping that South Africa gets over the line (but) it's a big ask. It's a tough team, we need not bluff ourselves that it would be a walk in the park," she added.
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