South Africa's under-23 national team are set to battle it out with their French counterparts in their second match at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Sunday.
Coach David Notoane's side started their Group A campaign with a 1-0 loss to tournament hosts, Japan on Thursday with Takefusa Kubo scoring the only goal of the match against the African side with 19 minutes left.
They will now be determined to register a victory in order to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout phase of the Olympics (for the first time) alive when they face a wounded France side.
The Young Blues, who won gold at the 1984 Olympic Games, suffered a surprise 4-1 defeat to Mexico in their opening Group A match on Thursday with Andre-Pierre Gignac grabbing the European side's consolation goal.
| Game | South Africa vs France |
| Date | Sunday, July 25 |
| Time | 10:00 pm SA Time |
TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch
The game will be shown live on SuperSport TV's channel 204
| Online Streaming | TV Channel |
|---|---|
| DStv.com/DStv Now App | SuperSport TV's channel 204 |
Squads & Team News
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South Africa are currently placed third on the Group A standings and they are yet to report any injuries in their camp.
Notoane is likely to hand exciting youngster Kobamelo Kodisang a starting berth against France with the Sporting Braga playmaker having impressed after coming on as a substitute in the defeat to Japan.
Kodisang and the team's inspirational Tercious Malepe, who was named in the Team of the Round after his solid performance against Japan, could be key to a South Africa victory over France.
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Meanwhile, France coach Sylvain Ripoll has decided to replace Rennes defender Jeremy Gelin, who is injured, with Everton left-back Niels Nkounkou following their defeat to Mexico.
Ripoll will once again look to Gignac with the experienced striker known for his aerial presence and finishing ability having faced Bafana Bafana at the 2010 Fifa World Cup finals in South Africa.
2018 Fifa World Cup winner Florian Thauvin will also pose a threat to the South Africa defence with the French team keen to claim a win which would elevate them from bottom spot in Group A.
Match Preview
This will be the first-ever meeting between the South Africa under-23 national team and their French counterparts.
South Africa, who qualified for the Olympics after finishing third at the 2019 U23 Africa Cup of Nations finals, came into the Tokyo tournament in poor form having lost three successive games, which were to Saudi Arabia and Egypt (twice) in friendly matches.
France did not play friendly games prior to the Olympics and the team qualified for the competition after making it to the semi-finals of the 2019 Uefa Under-21 European Championship (which serves as a qualifier for the Olympics).
