Pitso Mosimane to make major changes as South Africa face Egypt in friendly

South Africa manager Pitso Mosimane says he will make significant changes to his side for Sunday’s friendly against Egypt at Cairo International Stadium.

Mosimane told www.safa.net that he had always planned to give every member of his squad playing time during the team’s extended three-match camp.

The Bafana Bafana have already played two 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea, with the meeting with the Pharaohs completing the schedule.

Mosimane intends to select all the players who have yet to feature during the camp and has asked supporters to be patient with them when they face Egypt.

“We ask them to be patient and support them,” he said. “They are breaking through and we need to see what we have in our ranks. Unfortunately, we have to face a big team in Egypt on Sunday.

“The challenge is to let them test themselves against the sharks, but we have nothing to lose.”

Mosimane said the fixture would provide an important opportunity to assess the less experienced members of his squad against strong opposition.

“It is a friendly and we need to see what they are capable of at this level,” he added. “So we ask for patience and support for these young players.”

The South Africa manager also stressed that the team’s focus must now move beyond the recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and towards preparations for the next FIFA World Cup.

“The country must understand that we played the qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea and that is finished,” Mosimane said. “That is the most important thing.

“It is essential to prepare for the next FIFA World Cup and, if we do not play them now, when will we see them?

“We will not have any friendlies before the Africa Cup of Nations next year, so this is their only chance.”

Kick-off is scheduled for 21:00 Cairo time on Sunday.