Thabo Senong, head coach of the Burger King-sponsored South African u20 National Team (Amajita), says the international friendly match against Zambia will give his charges an insight that country in terms of conditions.

Thabo Senong, head coach of the Burger King-sponsored South African u20 National Team (Amajita), says the international friendly match against Zambia will give his charges an insight that country in terms of conditions.

Amajita are in Lusaka to take on the host nation on Sunday, 12 February 2017 at Nkoloma Stadium, a match used to prepare for the 2017 CAF U20 African Cup of Nations, which will be held in Zambia.

Kickoff is scheduled for 15h00.

Senong anticipates a tough clash, but is confident it will be a fruitful exercise.

“We are still in our second phase of preparations for the AFCON, which starts soon, and we still have some areas to work on. We are very grateful for the opportunity to play this friendly as it will assist us a lot in building our tactics, along with ensuring that the players have an idea of some of the conditions they will exposed to,” said Senong.

Another key factor the South Africans are focusing on is the fitness – which is always crucial in tournament situations.

“We still have about two weeks before the tournament kicks off, and we are working on ensuring that the players are all on the same level of fitness and understanding the game plans we will have for Cameroon, Senegal and Sudan,” added Senong. “The players will have to be very clinical in their set plays, come Sunday afternoon. They will also have to respect the critical times of the game and be able to match the Zambians physically and mentally.”

The third phase of preparations will start when Amajita return from Zambia after the clash with Junior Chipolopolo.

The South Africans will travel to Polokwane, Limpopo to face Mali in their second international friendly match.

The CAF U20 AFCON takes place in Zambia from 26 February – 12 March 2017