Molefi Ntseki's Bafana Bafana face neighbours Namibia in the first of their two international friendly fixtures on Thursday and will be aiming to lay down an early marker ahead of an all-important 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign.
Sport24 previews the Bafana Bafana v Namibia clash:
Bafana Bafana will be aiming to dispel the current overly negative narrative surrounding the senior men's national team by putting in a positive display against minnows Namibia.
Ntseki's side, ranked 71st in the FIFA world rankings, will welcome the lowly-ranked 117th placed Namibians to the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Thursday.
Thursday's encounter - the first of of two friendlies this week - poses a unique challenge for the hosts due to the squad having last played together in November 2019, nearly a year ago.
A sterner test against 88th ranked Zambia will be next in store for Bafana on Sunday with a quick turnaround between the two fixtures.
Despite an extended hiatus, players are at different fitness and match sharpness levels but must find a way to hit the ground running.
The 51-year old Ntseki - taking charge of his fourth official match - will be desperate for his side to gain some form of momentum during this international window ahead of the AFCON 2021 qualifiers.
A quick recap of South Africa's current standing in the 2021 AFCON qualifying campaign sees them second in Group C behind leaders Ghana after two matches played.
Bafana sit on three points after suffering a 2-0 away defeat to the Black Stars in their group opener before a 1-0 home win over Sudan.
Ntseki will now be targeting these two friendlies as valuable preparation for Bafana's next AFCON qualifiers in a double-header against Sao Tome and Principe.
2 South Africa 2 1 0 1 1 2 −1 3
3 Sudan 2 1 0 1 4 1 +3 3
4 São Tomé and Príncipe 2 0 0 2 0 5 −5 0
Players to watch: (South Africa)
Percy Tau
Bafana Bafana's best player will be aiming to stamp his authority on Thursday's clash and gain some valuable match fitness at the start of a new season. As his eligibility to play for parent-club Brighton in the Premier League rests on Bafana's world ranking, expect Tau to be the most motivated player on the pitch.
Kermit Erasmus
The striker has rediscovered a rich vein of form in front of goal that has seen him secure a move to Sundowns with namibian Peter Shalulile. This match-up can be seen as a shoot-out between the two newly-recruited Sundowns strikers.
Players to watch: (Namibia)
Peter Shalulile
Namibia are perhaps strongest in the attacking department and boast a number of talented attacking options spearheaded by Shalulile. The 26-year old will be familiar to South Africans after having just secured a lucrative move to champions Mamelodi Sundowns. The former Highlands Park striker finished last season as the league's joint top-scorer with 16 goals.
Deon Hotto:
Another attacker to ply his trade in South Africa and who will be keen to show up his contemporaries will be Hotto who, like Shalulile, also just secured a big-money move to Orlando Pirates. Hotto starred for Wits last season and has the ability to single-handedly change the outcome of games.
What the coaches said:
Head to head:
Jul 2013 South Africa v Namibia 2-1 COSAFA Cup
Jul 2017 South Africa v Namibia 1-0 COSAFA Cup
Jun 2018 Namibia v South Africa 1-4 COSAFA Cup
Jun 2019 South Africa v Namibia 1-0 Africa Cup of Nations