Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has pleaded with the public to support the young players he will be giving a chance. The game kicks off at 20:00 at the Cairo International Stadium.
EXPECTED STARTING LINE UP
Goalkeeper: Sipho Chaine
Defenders: Thabang Matuludi, Ime Okon, Lebone Seema, Fawaaz Basadien
Midfielders: Brooklyn Poggenpoel, Themba Zwane, Relebohile Mofokeng, Tashreeq Matthews
Attackers: Tshepang Moremi, Yanela Mbuthuma
Notable substitutes: Puso Dithejane, Shandre Campbell, Khulumani Ndamane, Luther Singh
The match comes after South Africa completed their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying commitments against Guinea and Eritrea. It means Mosimane can use the fixture to experiment with his squad and assess players ahead of the next FIFA World Cup.
MOSIMANE WANTS BAFANA BAFANA YOUNGSTERS TO SWIM WITH THE SHARKS
Mosimane has already made it clear that he intends to make a lot of changes against Egypt, with the fixture providing an important opportunity to assess the depth of his squad.
“We are pleading for patience and support for them. They are breaking through and we need to see what we have in our ranks. Unfortunately we have a big team (Egypt) that we have to play against on Sunday. The challenge is we have to let them (the players) swim with the sharks. But we’ve got nothing to lose,” Mosimane said.
The Bafana Bafana coach wants supporters to understand that the friendly is about building towards the future rather than focusing solely on the result.
“It is a friendly game and we need to see what they are capable of at this level. So we plead for patience and support for these youngsters.”
Mosimane also pointed out that South Africa have already completed their AFCON qualifying matches against Guinea and Eritrea. It makes Sunday’s encounter an ideal opportunity to test players who need international exposure.
“The country must understand that we have played the qualifiers (against Guinea and Eritrea) and we are done. That is the most important thing.” He believes these opportunities are crucial for preparing the squad for the next major cycle.
“It is important to build for the next FIFA World Cup and if we don’t put them in now, when are we going to see them? We do not have friendly games until the Africa Cup of Nations next year, so this is the only chance they have.”
For Bafana Bafana, the Egypt friendly therefore represents more than another international fixture. It is an opportunity for the next generation to show that they belong at this level.
WHAT IS YOUR EXPECTED LINE UP?
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