Mali coach Eric Chelle has revealed the reason they will not underrate South Africa during their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations opener on Tuesday.

The West Africans will kick off their campaign against Bafana Bafana at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo and according to Chelle the fact that most South African players play domestically is not a disadvantage.

“They all play in the same league and so we respect this team as they are former winners of the competition. They may not have a lot of players overseas but the fact that they play in the same league means that they know each other very well, which is a great advantage in such a competition. They are not to be underestimated,” warned the former defender as quoted by CAFOnline.

The last AFCON meeting between the two sides was when South Africa were hosts in 2013 where the Eagles edged them on penalties during the quarter-finals.

They met again in 2019 during a friendly in South Africa where Bafana Bafana emerged as 2-0 victors.