Both sides head into the clash well short of full strength. South Africa have only a handful of their overseas-based players available, while Ghana have opted not to send their star-studded Black Stars. Instead, the West Africans will field their locally based second-string outfit, the Black Galaxies.

The bulk of Bafana’s overseas contingent is set to link up with the squad once they arrive in Morocco. Hugo Broos’ men jet off to North Africa on Wednesday to continue their build-up ahead of their AFCON opener against Angola’s Palancas Negras in Marrakesh.

Captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams admitted the camp has not been without its challenges, but believes it may prove a blessing in disguise.

“It’s been a strange camp for many reasons - we haven’t had the full squad and that makes preparation difficult,” said Williams.

“We’ve had a few issues as a team, but in a way I’m glad they came up now, because it gave us a chance to sit together, talk things through and try to fix them before the major tournament.”

Hugo Broos - Morgan Piek

Despite the bumps along the way, Williams feels Bafana are on track and ready to build on their impressive bronze-medal finish at the 2024 AFCON in Ivory Coast.

“Training has been good, even though we haven’t been at our best and the mood in the camp hasn’t always been great,” he added.

“But once the team settles this week, things will improve. We’ll sort it out and we’ll keep fighting.”

With the bigger picture in mind, Williams stressed the importance of unity and belief, especially with South Africa set to return to the FIFA World Cup next year for the first time in 16 years.

“The main thing now is support. We know how far we’ve come as a team and as a country, and we can’t afford to take steps back,” he said.

“We need to be stronger together, learn from past mistakes and go into the tournament with a clear mindset, focused on giving our all for the country.”

Tuesday’s international friendly between South Africa and Ghana kicks off at 16:00 at Dobsonville Stadium.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport