The Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers are back this week, and in Group K, South Africa will take on Congo at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday evening. This match kicks off a double-header, with the two teams set to face each other again just four days later in Brazzaville.
After achieving their best AFCON finish since 1999 earlier this year, South Africa has made a solid start to their qualification campaign, currently sitting second in the group, tied on four points with Uganda.
Bafana Bafana began their qualifiers with an exciting 2-2 draw against Uganda and followed it up with a thrilling 3-2 victory over South Sudan. These results have extended their unbeaten streak across all competitions to 10 matches, dating back to their semi-final loss to Nigeria in February.
Coach Hugo Broos has emphasized the need for improvement in their defense, as the team has kept just one clean sheet in their last nine games. In contrast, during the last AFCON tournament in Ivory Coast, they conceded only twice in six matches.
Historically, encounters between these two teams have been closely contested, with three of their four previous meetings ending in draws. The only win came from Bafana Bafana during the qualification for the 2015 AFCON.
On the other hand, Congo has faced significant challenges recently, particularly leading up to this match. Just a week before their trip to Gqeberha, the Congolese Football Federation was forced to shut down right before announcing the final squad.
This is just the latest setback for Congolese football; only three months ago, they suffered a 3-0 forfeit after failing to show up for a World Cup qualifier against Niger in DR Congo.
In terms of recent performance, the Red Devils lost 2-0 to Uganda in their last match, but they did manage a 1-0 win against South Sudan in their opening qualifier this victory being their only one since defeating South Sudan back in March 2023.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
South Africa has received a significant boost ahead of this month’s qualifiers with team captain Ronwen Williams back to full fitness after missing the first two matches due to a shoulder injury.
Unfortunately, Bafana Bafana’s hero Thalente Mbatha, who scored crucial late goals against Uganda and South Sudan, will miss this match due to injury. Additionally, midfielder Jayden Adams has been dropped from the squad.
On the Congo side, there hasn't been any official announcement about the squad traveling to Southern Africa, but reports suggest it will remain unchanged from the first two rounds.
If that’s the case, the Red Devils will rely on players like Merveil Ndockyt and Young Boys forward Silvere Ganvoula to pose a threat to the South African defense. Meanwhile, Bryan Passi and Ryan Bidounga are expected to partner up in central defense.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
South Africa possible starting lineup:
Williams; Mudau, Kekana, Dortley, Modiba; Appollis, Mokoena, Aubaas, Zwane, Mofokeng; Foster
Congo possible starting lineup:
Ndzila; Andzouana, Passi, Bidounga, Poaty; Dembi, Massanga; Bassouamina, Mboungou, Ndockyt; Ganvoula
EXPERT PREDICTION
South Africa 2-1 Congo
Although Congo has posed challenges for their opponents over the past year—holding teams like Gambia and Gabon to draws and narrowly losing to Zambia—their off-field issues have affected their recent performances. As a result, we believe they will struggle to keep pace with the home side in this match.