Benni McCarthy and Pitso Mosimane Clash in AFCON Qualifier

South Africa's all-time men's record goalscorer Benni McCarthy leads his Kenya side to the Orlando Amstel Arena for Friday's African Cup of Nations qualifier against Pitso Mosimane's Bafana Bafana. Kick-off is set for Friday, November 13 at 6 p.m. CAT, with the match airing on SABC 3 and SuperSport channel 202. The teams face off again next Tuesday in Nairobi.

Stakes and Group Context

Kenya is already assured a place at the 2027 tournament as co-hosts alongside Tanzania and Uganda. South Africa needs to finish above Guinea and Eritrea to book their place, with Bafana captain Ronwen Williams stressing the squad's determination to avoid past rule-confusion mistakes like the 2012 'Dance of Shame'. South Africa has started strong with a 2-1 win over Guinea, a 5-0 win over Eritrea, and a 1-0 friendly win over Egypt under Mosimane's second stint, while Kenya drew 1-1 with Eritrea, lost 1-0 to Guinea, and drew 0-0 with Rwanda.

Team News and Squads

Houston Dynamo FC's Lyle Foster returns to the Bafana squad after missing the last international break, and Chicago Fire FC centre-back Mbekezeli Mbokazi is back from injury. Ronwen Williams and Teboho Mokoena also return following the Mamelodi Sundowns CAF Super Cup match. Benni McCarthy holds a net positive record against Pitso Mosimane as head coaches, winning 4, drawing 1, and losing 3 of their 8 past clashes.

Context

AFCON qualifiers bring together national teams from across the continent to compete for spots in the final tournament. Group stage matches involve double round-robin fixtures where teams play each other both at home and away to decide standings.