Mali captain Seydou Keita says he and his team-mates "are not scared of South Africa" ahead of their quarter-final clash at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
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The Eagles faced Bafana Bafana at this stage of the competition in 2002 in Mali, with the hosts winning that match 2-0 before losing 3-0 to eventual winners Cameroon in the semis.
And after helping guide his side out of a difficult Group B this time around, that also contained Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger, Keita is optimistic of earning a place in the last four - despite the West African nation having already achieved their objective.
Keita said: "I must confess that it wouldn't be an easy encounter because we're facing the host nation South Africa. Eleven years ago we were in the same situation when we hosted the tournament in Mali.
"Hosting an Afcon generates a lot of ambition and support, and also inspires the host team to excel. However, it heaps much pressure on the home side.
"We, the Eagles, are a young team and we have achieved our main objective of the tournament which was reaching the knockout stage.
"Now, the next possible step is to cross the quarter-finals into the semis. We are not scared of South Africa. We'll play against them like we have been doing so far."
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