The time for Bafana Bafana to play their opening Africa Cup of Nations match is getting closer, so snl24.com/kickoff looks at which players from the Ivory Coast squad Stuart Baxter's men will need to keep an eye on.
Franck Kessie
The midfield will be a key area as both sides look to dominate, so what's important for Bafana is to ensure that they do not allow Kessie to dicate terms in the middle of the park. He has the vision which allows him to play those defence splitting passes to strikers that are waiting to finish. He is also dangerous in set piece situations, which his ability to score or whip in hard-to-defend balls into the area.
Wilfried Zaha
The Crystal Palace forward has the pace, skill and eye goal, which makes him a big threat. Zaha will go into the tournament high on confidence after a good season with Palace, which has seen him being linked with a move to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. He can play either on the wings or upfront.
Jean-Michael Seri
He is solid in the middle of the park and he will do whatever it takes to ensure Bafana do not have too much freedom in the middle of the park. He is full of running, playing a key role in both defence and attack.
Nicolas Pepe
The winger, who has attracted interest from various clubs in Europe, was in sublime form for his French Ligue 1 club Lille, bagging 22 goals and 11 assists in the past campaign. These are statistics that Bafana should be aware of, so that they keep an eye on this dangerous player. He's got speed and skill to beat opposition defenders.
Maxwell Cornet
Like Zaha, Cornet goes into AFCON high on confidence after finishing the season in fine form for French Ligue 1 side Lyon. He scored six goals in the last five league matches for his club and he'll be hoping to continue with this scoring form in Egypt.