Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane has pleaded for patience and support as his troops prepare for a tough friendly international outing against Egypt on Sunday.
Mosimane is expected to name a much-changed side from the team that picked up six crucial points in the 2027 CAF African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
South Africa got their qualifying campaign off to a good start with a narrow 2-1 win over Guinea before they hammered minnows Eritrea 5-0 to top Group D.
‘Jingles’ will now be looking to give some of his rested players game time though he admitted that his young guns will have to “swim with the sharks” in order to test themselves against the Pharaohs at the top level.
“We are pleading for patience and support for them,” Mosimane said as per safa.net.
“They are breaking through and we need to see what we have in our ranks. Unfortunately, we have a big team [Egypt] that we have to play against on Sunday.
“The challenge is we have to let them [the players] swim with the sharks, but we’ve got nothing to lose.
“It is a friendly game, and we need to see what they are capable of at this level. So, we plead for patience and support for these youngsters.
“The country must understand that we have played the qualifiers [against Guinea and Eritrea] and we are done. That is the most important thing. It is important to build for the next FIFA World Cup and if we don’t put them in now, when are we going to see them?
“We do not have friendly games until the Africa Cup of Nations next year, so this is the only chance they have.”