The South Africa national under-20 side are set to begin their World Cup Group F campaign with a clash against Argentina.
Amajita go into the clash knowing all too well the difficulty of coming up against the two-time winners of the tournament, and in a group which also includes European powerhouse Portugal and South Korea, starting the campaign with a positive result could be key.
However, heading into the game, both nations have all the reason to be optimistic. Amajita spent their preparations in Saudi Arabia before drawing 1-1 with Ukraine, while the South Americans beat Honduras ahead of the tournament.
| Game | Argentina U20 v South Africa U20 |
| Date | Saturday, May 25 |
| Time | 20:30 SA Time |
TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch
In South Africa, the game will be beamed live on SS10 and you can also catch live updates on Goal.com .
| Live Match Centre | TV Channel |
|---|---|
| Goal.com | SS3 |
Squad & Team News
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Under the leadership of head coach Thabo Senong and assistant Helman Mkhalele, a lot will be expected of the South Africans.
Senong called up a strong 21-man squad and players such as Lyle Foster, Leicester City’s Khanya Leshabela and Ajax Amsterdam’s Leo Thethani could have a major role to play in terms of attack.
While the squad does not consist of many first-team regulars, Senong will hope to get the best out of the players.
During the qualifiers where Amajita claimed a bronze medal at the Africa U20 Cup of Nations, but they only scored two goals and It was their resoluteness at the back that eventually took them over the line.
One player, who is certainly not short on confidence is Sibusiso Mabiliso. The youngster featured 21 times during AmaZulu’s league campaign and is a bright prospect for the future.
A massive bow though will be the absence of Kaizer Chiefs attacker Nkosingiphie Ncgobo, who has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury.
Amajita will undoubtedly miss the midfielder but will rely on others to fill the void.
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Meanwhile, Argentina have several players to look out for including Gonzalo Maroni and Adolfo Gaich, who scored a total of five goals between them in the 2019 U20 Sudamericano.
Pedro de la Vega is another dangerman that Amajita will need to be wary of if they are to keep their hopes of progression in Poland alive.
Match Preview
Saturday’s clash will be the very first meeting between the two sides at junior level in a competitive match.
Argentina though are favourites on paper and have won three of their last five games in all competitions.
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