Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter on Monday announced a 23-man squad to face Nigeria in their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier on November 17 at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
Baxter has had to re-arrange his squad due to injuries to several of his key players - the latest being England-based Kamohelo Mokotjo.
Other key players set to miss this fixture are Dean Furman, Bongani Zungu, Keagan Dolly, Sibusiso Vilakazi and Bradley Grobler, all out with long-term injuries.
“It has really been a tough task to select the team to face Nigeria without some of our regular players, but we have to soldier on. These injuries could not have come at a worse time when we really need to collect all three points because we are well aware of the importance of doing this,” said Baxter.
“The positive side, however, is that this gives us a chance to introduce other players into the squad, and these are players we have been monitoring, so it not like a knee-jerk reaction. This helps us to ensure that when we qualify for the tournament we have an even bigger pool of players to choose from. I am also confident that the players brought in will do a good job.”
Bafana and the Super Eagles clash at a time when the two have swapped positions at the top.
Nigeria lead Group E with nine points, just one ahead of South Africa – who are yet to concede or lose a match in the qualifiers.
“I must admit this makes the upcoming clash all the more interesting. Remember we beat them 2-0 in the first leg in their backyard, so they will come here trying to avenge that, on the other hand, we want to regain the top spot which we relinquished with the draw away to Seychelles. The good thing is that qualification is still in our hands,” added Baxter.
Bafana will assemble for camp on Sunday, in Johannesburg.
The Afcon tournament is scheduled for June next year to be held in Cameroon.
After the Nigeria clash, the next following qualifier for Bafana will be away against Libya in March 2019.
Bafana squad:
Goalkeepers:
Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs), Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United), Darren Keet (Wits)
Defenders:
Ramahlwe Mphahlele (Chiefs), Motjeka Madisha (Mamelodi Sundowns), Siyanda Xulu (Maritzburg United), Innocent Maela (Orlando Pirates), Thulani Hlatshwayo, S'Fiso Hlanti, Buhle Mkhwanazi (all Wits), Thamsanqa Mkhize (Cape Town City)
Midfielders:
Vincent Pule, Thembinkosi Lorch (all Pirates), Fortune Makaringe (Maritzburg), Lebohang Maboe, Hlompho Kekana, Tiyani Mabunda (all Sundowns), Teboho Mokoena (SuperSport), Thulani Serero (Vitesse)
Strikers:
Lebo Mothiba (Strasbourg), Percy Tau (Royal Union), Dino Ndlovu (Zhejiang), Themba Zwane (Sundowns).