AFCON QUALIFIER: SOUTH AFRICA VS CONGO PREVIEW

South Africa vs Congo | Friday October 11| Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | 19:00

Bafana Bafana will continue with their journey to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations that is set to be held in Morocco when they take on Congo in their third qualifying match. Bafana is in group K with Uganda, Congo and South Sudan. The home side was impressive in their last AFCON participation, coming home with a bronze medal.

Pressure will be on the Congolese side who will be playing in a hostile environment that is expected to be dominated by the home fans. They are a disciplined team that is capable of shocking Bafana.

To win (90 min)
South Africa 3/10
Draw 34/10
Congo 8/1

South Africa

South Africa is currently sitting in second spot, equal points with Uganda who are topping the group with four points. They are separated by a point from Friday’s opponents and cannot afford to drop points in this match as this would further threaten their chances of qualifying for AFCON.

Hugo Broos did not make many changes from the squad that faced Uganda and South Sudan in September. Thalente Mbatha who had become a saviour for Bafana in their last two matches by scoring a last-minute equalising goal against Uganda and a winning goal against South Sudan, had to be dropped after sustaining an injury on Saturday in the MTN8 final where Orlando Pirates defeated Stellenbosch FC. Jayden Adams has also been withdrawn after failing to report for camp on time.

Chippa United’s Sinoxolo Kwayiba and Bathusi Aubaas from Mamelodi Sundowns have been called up as replacements for the two midfielders. We look to see if they can get some minutes in the game.

Thabiso Sesane who started the season on a high note with Pirates received his first national team call up and it would not be a surprise if he is in the starting lineup. Sesane won the Man of the Match award on Saturday after a stellar performance that kept the Stellies attackers at bay.

Captain Ronwen Williams will return to the team after recovering from a shoulder injury and is expected to take over from Sipho Chaine who was in goals in the last clash. The combination of Siyabonga Ngezana (who will not be part of this match) and Rushwin Dortley created all sorts of problems for Chaine and we look to see if Williams will be able to organise his defence and ensure that they don’t repeat the mistakes of the last game.

Polokwane City’s Oswin Appollis has cemented his place in the national team’s starting eleven, he scored a first-half brace in the match against South Sudan, and he is expected to lead the frontline together with Lyle Foster and Elias Mokwana.

Congo

Congo is currently sitting in the third position with three points having begun their campaign with a shocking 1-0 victory against South Sudan thanks to a goal by Chandrel Massanga. The Congolese failed to build from the win when they went down 2-0 to Uganda.

Coach Isaac Ngata will rely on his players’ imposing physicality as well as their discipline. They are desperate for a win to be able to keep their hopes of qualifying alive.

Despite Bafana’s struggles in their last two matches, they are still the stronger side in this fixture and will give them a tough time, especially since they are playing in front of their home fans. They will need to pull out all the stops to salvage all three points.

Prediction: Bafana to win

The last meeting between these two sides was ten years ago in the same competition, South Africa recorded a 2-0 victory in the first leg and was held to a goalless draw in the return leg.

Written by Siphesihle Soni.