Bafana Bafana begin their bid to reach the 2026 World Cup with a home qualifier against Benin in Durban on Saturday, a tricky tie against a team that on paper they will feel they should beat.
But as the old saying goes, 'football is played on grass, not paper', and there are players within the Benin side who can make life difficult for Hugo Broos' side.
Their team is mainly made up of players who ply their trade on the African continent and the lesser leagues of Europe, though they do have a few in France, and they will likely provide the biggest threat for Bafana.
We pick three players to watch.
STEVE MOUNIEThe Brest forward is a genuine goal-scorer and likely the leading source of goals for the visitors.
He started his career at Montpellier, had a loan spell at Nimes and then a successful three-year stay at English side Huddersfield.
He returned to France in 2020 and joined Brest, and has 26 goals in Ligue 1 since, including two this season.
He netted in a 3-2 loss to Paris St Germain late last month.
Mounie knows the way to goal and Bafana had better beware.
JODEL DOSSOUAttacker Dossou generally plays on the right wing but can also move more centrally if required.
Things have not gone his way in recent years as part of a struggling Sochaux side in France, but the 31-year-old has plenty of experience built up in Europe after years in Austria, Switzerland and then France.
He netted for Benin in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier defeat in Mozambique in September and while his club fortunes might be dipping, he is still a key member of the national team.
CEDRIC HOUNTONDJIA former France junior international, the Toulouse-born centre-back is a star at Ligue 2 Angers, though he spent the previous two seasons in the topflight before their relegation at the end of the last campaign.
He has spent his entire career in France bar brief spells with New York City in MLS and Levski Sofia in Bulgaria.
He featured in 36 of Angers' 38 Ligue 1 games last season and has started 11 of 14 for the club this season as they sit second in the table.
An experienced and accomplished defender.
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