Seeking to pick up a sixth victory on the bounce in all competitions, Angola take a trip to the Mbombela Stadium to square off against South Africa in a friendly contest on Sunday.

The Bafana Bafana, on the other hand, will be looking to get one over the visitors after suffering defeats in their two Africa Nations Championship encounters this year.

Match preview

Angola maintained their fine run of results on Thursday when they secured a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Botswana in their first friendly outing since March's goalless draw with Equatorial Guinea.

In a cagey affair at the Dobsonville Stadium, Al-Ittihad Alexandria striker Cristovao Paciencia came up trumps for the home side as he netted the only goal of the game on the stroke of half time to sink Mogomotsi Mpote's men.

This result was in keeping with their superb performance in the 2022 Africa Nations Championship qualifiers earlier this year, where they picked up four wins from four to book their place in the tournament proper.

Pedro Goncalves's side kicked off their CHAN qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Mauritius on July 24 before seeing off Les Dodos 1-0 in the second leg one week later to set up a playoff clash against South Africa.

Angola hammered the Bafana Bafana 6-1 on aggregate, claiming a 2-0 first-leg victory at home on August 28 before visiting the Orlando Stadium a week later to claim a 4-1 victory and secure their fourth CHAN appearance and a first since 2018.

The Palancas Negras have been particularly impressive at the defensive end of the pitch, where they have kept four clean sheets and conceded just once in their last five matches, while scoring 10 goals in that time.

Angola, who are currently ranked 119th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, head into the weekend unbeaten in 10 of their 12 matches across, claiming an impressive eight wins and two draws since the turn of the year.

South Africa, on the other hand, have put together a fine run of form since their CHAN qualifying heartbreak and will head into Sunday seeking a fourth consecutive friendly victory.

Hugo Broos's side kicked off their friendlies on September 24, when they comfortably saw off Sierra Leone 4-0 before claiming a slender 1-0 victory over Botswana on home soil three days later.

South Africa picked up a third win on the bounce for the first time since November 2021 on Thursday when they fought back from behind to claim a 2-1 victory over Mozambique.

After trailing at half time courtesy of Nelson Divrassone's 14th-minute opener, Minnesota United striker Bongokuhle Hlongwane turned in a solid second-half performance as he struck twice in a three-minute spell to turn the game on its head.

South Africa will now look to keep the juggernaut rolling as they prepare for the return of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where they will be looking to get their campaign up and running following a 2-1 loss against Morocco in the Group K opener back in June.

The Bafana Bafana will fancy their chances of maintaining their fine run as Sunday's game pits them against Angola against whom they are unbeaten in 16 of the last 19 meetings between the teams, claiming 10 wins and six draws since 1996.

Team News

Goncalves has called up a 24-man squad for their two November friendlies, including 24-year-old forward Nelson da Luz, who has three goals for Vitoria de Guimaraes in the Portuguese Primeira Liga this season.

Paciencia took his goal tally for Angola to six with his winner against Botswana last time out and we expect the veteran forward, who has 14 senior caps under his belt, to spear head the Palancas Negras' attack once again.

At the defensive end of the pitch, we expect a centre-back pairing of Valenciennes man Jonathan Buatu-Mananga and Kialonda Gaspar, shielding Hugo Marques in goal.

Off the back of a man-of-the-match performance against Botswana last time out, we expect Hlongwane to be rewarded with another starting role on Sunday.

The 22-year-old should join veteran forward Themba Zwane and Orlando Pirates man Zakhele Lepasa in the final third, while Broos could name an unchanged back four of Nyiko Mobbie, Aubrey Maphosa Modiba, Rushine De Reuck and Grant Kekana.

South Africa possible starting lineup:
Williams; Mobbie, Modiba, De Reuck, Kekana; Saleng, Timm; Zwane, Mokoena, Hlongwane; Lepasa

Angola possible starting lineup:
Marques; Piazo, Buatu-Mananga, Gaspar, Quinito; Herenilson, Show, Luz; Paciencia, Salvador, Vladimiro

We say: South Africa 2-1 Angola

Angola and South Africa have put together a fine run of form in recent outings and this makes for an exciting watch. While we anticipate an open contest, the Bafana Bafana boast the firepower needed to get the job done and we predict that they will come away victorious, ending their two-game losing streak against the visitors.

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