Ahead of the highly anticipated friendly between Egypt and South Africa at the Cairo International Stadium, SBN brings you five players to keep an eye on!
1. Relebohile Mofokeng (South Africa)
The 21-year-old Relebohile Mofokeng is currently the hottest property in South African football. The Union St.-Gilloise winger is coming off a sensational man-of-the-match performance against Eritrea, where he netted a brilliant first-half brace. Blessed with blistering pace and electric dynamic dribbling, Mofokeng will be Mosimane’s main weapon to exploit Egypt’s transitional defensive high line.
Read – Cavin Johnson explains why Egypt friendly is crucial for Mosimane
2. Omar Marmoush (Egypt)
With Mohamed Salah expected to sit out this fixture, the creative and scoring burden for the Pharaohs falls squarely onto Omar Marmoush. Currently on loan at Tottenham from Manchester City, Marmoush is in peak form after bagging a clinical brace against South Sudan. Operating either on the wing or as a central focal point, his link-up play with Mostafa Ziko will severely test Bafana’s backline.
3. Oswin Appollis (South Africa)
If Mofokeng is the finisher, Oswin Appollis is the undisputed architect of Bafana Bafana’s attack. Appollis produced an absolute masterclass against Eritrea, providing a staggering three assists to unlock the defense. His vision, crossing accuracy, and tactical instructions to tuck inside when the fullbacks overlap make him an incredibly difficult asset for the Egyptian midfield to track.
4. Ibrahim Adel (Egypt)
Pyramids FC star Ibrahim Adel represents the elite domestic talent that manager Hossam Hassan is successfully integrating into the national setup. Adel scored in the Pharaohs’ recent 5-0 routing of South Sudan and possesses a rare knack for making late, late intuitive runs into the penalty box. Without a dedicated defensive anchor like Teboho Mokoena fully fit, Bafana must keep Adel heavily marked.
5. Ronwen Williams (South Africa)
Bafana Bafana’s captain and veteran goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, will need to command his penalty box with absolute authority. Though South Africa kept a clean sheet in their last qualifier, Williams had to pull off a couple of stellar, acrobatic one-handed saves to keep the opposition at bay. Facing a highly physical and direct Egyptian frontline, his distribution and organization of young center-backs like Ime Okon will be vital.