South Africa's U23 side go into battle tomorrow against the hosts of the U23 African Cup of Nations, Senegal, as they look to get off to a flying start.
Read: SA U23s Advance Preparations
Owen da Gama, the head coach of SA's U23s, has previously spoken of the importance of getting a good start to the competition in Dakar, however the task will get no easier as they take on fellow Group A opponents, Zambia and Tunisia, in the two games that follow.
Da Gama will be without Orlando Pirates duo, Gift Motupa and Menzi Masuku, who have both travelled to Tunisia with their team for the CAF Confederation Cup, however other than that he has a full strength squad at his disposal.
In this piece the Siya crew is opted to take a look at South Africa's three Group A opponents to see how they made it this far and who must be kept an eye on.
Senegal:
The young Lions of Teranga qualified for the tournament as hosts once they replaced the Democratic Republic of Congo, however they did have a good run of games in the All Africa Games earlier this year.
Key Player - Ibrahima Sory Keita– The youngster scored three goals during the All Africa Games earlier this year, including two in the semifinals, and also grabbed a brace in the 3-1 friendly win over Mali on Wednesday.
Zambia:
The Zambians beat Botswana and the Ivory Coast on the way to qualifying for the U23 AFCON, conceding just one goals in their four games, however needed penalties to overcome the CIV after two goalless draws. They have only lost once in 2015 (v Nigeria, 2-1).
Key Player – Ronald Kampamba – The Egyptian-based 21-year-old will be crucial for the Zambians up front, with the Wadi Degla man having scored in qualifying against Botswana and putting away his penalty against Ivory Coast.
Tunisia:
Tunisia's U23s had a strong qualifying campaign for the U23 AFCON, beating Sudan 3-0 and Morocco 2-1 on aggregate as they made their way to Senegal, conceding just the one goal in four games. All five of their goals were scored by different players.
Key Player – Sliman Kchouk – The Club Bizertin defender scored past the U23s in the 2-1 win earlier this year, as well as bagging a vital goal in against Sudan in qualifying back in May.
South Africa's U23s will play their counterparts from Senegal on Saturday at 17h00, Zambia on December 1st at 17h00, and then Tunisia on December 4th at 17h00. The top two teams in the group make it into the knockout stages, with the top three teams securing a spot in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
