South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira believes his side will be more confident going into Wednesday's potentially crucial World Cup showdown with Uruguay having got their first game under their belts.
Parreira revealed he is likely to keep faith with the majority of the side that drew 1-1 in their Group A opener against Mexico when they face Uruguay in Pretoria, but suggested his tactical approach to the game may differ.
Palermo's Edison Cavani could start alongside Luis Suarez in Uruguay's attack with Atletico Madrid star Diego Forlan playing behind them in support. The move would see Ignacio Gonzalez drop to the bench.
The pressure was on the host nation heading into Friday's curtain-raiser against Mexico and nerves looked to play a part as they struggled to get the ball off their dominant opponents in the first half. However, the Bafana Bafana improved after the break and, having secured a 1-1 draw in that match, Parreira believes they are now in a better frame of mind heading into their second Group A fixture.
"I believe the most difficult game for us was the first one," he said. "The whole world was watching and the pressure was there.
"After we played the first game we felt more confident, even though we are now playing against a very good team like Uruguay, who have lots of players playing for the big teams in Europe. They have a lot of experience.''
Uruguay held France to a goalless draw in their opening game and like his South Africa counterpart Parreira, Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez feels that his side will be able to give a better account of themselves on Wednesday having got their first game out of the way.
"We know it's going to be very difficult but we know if we win we will take a giant leap forward," said Tabarez.
"We had expectations for our opening match and we continue to have expectations for this second match, which is very important because of the two draws in the previous matches
Source: PA
