South Africa will hope to finish off their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification phase with a flourish when they take on South Sudan at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday.
Bafana Bafana are favourites to win the match and to secure victory, they will need some of their top players to be at their best while they would be best advised not to underrate their opponents who also have some dangermen in their squad.
Ahead of the match, Afrik-Foot highlights the five players to watch from both sides.
Ronwen Williams
Ballon d’Or nominee Ronwen Williams has brought some calmness and stability to the Bafana Bafana defence with just one goal conceded in three matches since his return after South Africa shipped in four in two matches in his absence in September.
The Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper has been leading from the front with the team benefiting not just from his leadership but also his reflexes and will be key in Bafana Bafana’s desire to sign off with a third clean sheet.
Teboho Mokoena
Williams’ Sundowns team-mate Teboho Mokoena has also offered protection to the defence with his job becoming more difficult since the injury suffered by his midfield partner Sphephelo Sithole in Juba in September.
He has, however, remained one of the standout players in the team and South Sudan will need to breach him to have a sniff at the Bafana Bafana goal, showing his importance to the side.
If Mokoena has a good game, South Africa will likely win but they will struggle for a result if he is not on song.
Patrick Maswanganyi
Orlando Pirates playmaker Patrick Maswanganyi is a player of interest given what has been said about him in recent days and months.
Tito answered some of his critics with a well-taken goal in Uganda, his first for Bafana Bafana, and there has been a clamour for his inclusion from the start.
There is a feeling that he is the man who can replace long-term injury absentee Themba Zwane and all eyes will be on coach Hugo Broos to see if he names him in the starting XI, after coming on for Luke Le Roux on Friday and outshining the Sweden-based star.
Ebon Malish Ezibon Wajo
However, it will not just be a South African affair as South Sudan also have players who can punish Broos’ men.
Jamus FC winger Ebon Malish Ezibon Wajo announced himself to the grand stage with two goals against Congo in their surprise 3-2 win last Thursday when they came from behind twice to claim three points.
The former South Sudan U20 star was making his first senior appearance and he showed that he deserved it with two goals which will make him a dangerman against South Africa on Tuesday.
Valentino Yuel
Bafana Bafana will be familiar with attacker Valentino Yuel who scored against them in September in their 3-2 victory in Juba.
Adept at playing either side of the main striker, Yuel has mostly been deployed on the left wing but can also drop into space and act as a playmaker, meaning he will have a prominent role against South Africa.
Yuel, who plays for Nasaf Qarshi in Uzbekistan where he has managed two goals and as many assists in 13 matches across all competitions, has been an ever-present figure for South Sudan in the qualifiers.
