Spanish based central defender Nasief Morris is expecting tough competition for his place alongside Bafana Bafana skipper Aaron Mokoena, when national head coach Joel Santana names his starting line-up against Equatorial Guinea on Saturday.

This away clash is Bafana's final game in their disappointing 2010 African Nations Cup qualifying programme. The loser will finish bottom of Group Four. Nigeria won the group with Sierra Leone surprising everyone, including Bafana, by finishing runners up.

The fact Bafana will not be playing in the 2010 African Nations Cup finals in Angola is a huge worry for players, officials and supporters.

But Morris said he and the other European based players were heartened by the 3-0 win by a Premier Soccer League based Bafana side over Malawi in Germiston last Tuesday night.

Said Morris who plays for struggling Spanish side Recreativo Huelva: "Maybe Malawi are not the strongest side on the continent. But by all accounts the side played well and scored goals without conceding any. I and the other overseas based players know we face tough competition for our places.

"One thing for sure is we are not here on holiday. We are here to work and to get a win when we travel to Equatorial Guinea and end the AFCON qualification on a winning note."

He said the players were looking to the bigger picture of next June's Confederation Cup where Bafana come up against world champions Italy and the six continental winners in Brazil, Spain, Egypt, Iraq, New Zealand and the United States.

Morris, who has played 35 times for Bafana, is also confident under fire head coach Joel Santana will be able to rebuild the squad in time for the start of the Confederations Cup in June.

Santana worked with his players for two hours at a hot Pildich Stadium on Wednesday morning, putting the finishing touches to his preparations before the squad leaves for West Africa on Thursday morning.

Said Morris when asked about the communication of the Portuguese speaking Brazilian Santana whose English is poor: "We are learning his tactics and we do understand what he is telling us and we know what is expected of us. The coach struggles with English but he manages to get his message across to the players. He does what is best for the team and things are improving step by step."

Although his club are battling to find their feet in Spain, Morris said: "Playing in Spain is a huge lift for me. It is one of the two biggest leagues in the world. I am gaining experience and learning a lot. My form is good and although my club is not a big one, I am hoping to get noticed and move to a bigger team in Spain at the end of the season."

Sapa