Namibia will be looking to build on their match-day one victory over Tunisia as they face South Africa in a Group E fixture on Sunday. The South Africans are seeking their first win in the tournament and given the results in recent meetings, a stalemate could be on the cards here.
South Africa are coming off a 2-0 defeat to Mali in their opening Group B fixture at the AFCON. They saw a solid amount of possession and created a number of goalscoring opportunities but were wasteful in attack with Percy Tau even missing a first half penalty.
Manager Hugo Broos may be disappointed with the result but it is consistent with South Africa’s recent outings. The 1996 African champions have picked up just one win from their last six matches across all competitions.
A major problem for South Africa is a lack of cutting edge in attack, along with profligacy with the chances they do create. They have now failed to score in their last three matches across all competitions.
Namibia will head into Sunday’s clash in high spirits after stunning Tunisia to claim their first ever AFCON win. It was a proper smash and grab performance as they beat back several attacks before Daniel Hotto’s late effort earned them a 1-0 win over the former champions.
Manager Collin Benjamin had been humble in the build-up to the tournament, often insisting that Namibia’s target was simply to claim one win. However, a closer look at their recent record shows some good form as they have lost just once in their last six matches.
Namibia’s recent good form has been driven by a solid defence, although they rode their luck in the first fixture, with goalkeeper Dylan Kazapua particularly impressive. They have now kept five clean sheets in their last six matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
South Africa have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 21/20 by Coral to claim the win. A victory for Namibia is valued at 7/2 by Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 9/4 by bet365.
Head to head
South Africa have never lost to Namibia, claiming six wins and four draws from 10 previous matches. The last three meetings have ended in draws with both teams playing out a 0-0 scoreline in a friendly back in September.
Players to watch
While South Africa will be keen to make up for the missed chances in their opening fixture, they need to be wary of Namibia’s fast breaks. Siyanda Xulu and Mothobi Mvala are expected to continue in central defence and can lead the South Africans to a clean sheet at 11/10 with Coral.
Namibia have been excellent at the back lately with five clean sheets in their last six matches. Goalkeeper Dylan Kazapua was the hero in the opening fixture and can guide the team to another clean sheet 12/5 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams were level at the break in their opening fixtures and could be set to play out a halftime draw at 10/11 with bet365. Mothobi Mvala is considered a tough tackling defender and having been booked in the opening fixture could be backed to be carded once again at 11/4 with bet365.
With South Africa struggling for goals lately and Namibia looking solid at the back, there could be no goals on Sunday at 5/1 with Paddy Power.
This African Nations Cup match between South Africa and Namibia will be played on Jan 21, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best South Africa vs Namibia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
