Five positives if Bafana beat Ghana

1 The immediate benefit of a victory over Ghana will be that South Africa will head off to Sunday's final Group C match against hosts Sudan needing just one point to secure one of two slots to qualify for a place in the 2021 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals in Cameroon next January.

2 South Africa, with a lone 1996 Afcon conquest, have a Fifa world ranking of 71, whereas four-time Afcon winners Ghana slot in at 52.

A victory for South Africa will secure a bag full of ranking points, and South Africa will move into the 60s when the rankings are updated next month.

3 Four members of South Africa's ‘foreign legion’ – Bongani Zungu, Keagan Dolly, Dean Furman and Thulani Serero – have not been released by their respective clubs for national team duty.

In their absence, local players will step into the fray, and if they help South Africa attain victory over Ghana, it will boost the “local is lekker” thinking.

4 There remains doubt about the wisdom of appointing unheralded Molefi Ntseki as the head coach of South Africa in August 2019.

During this coaching career, he has always served as an assistant, but should he steer the side to a win over Ghana it will help justify the SA Football Association’s faith in him.

5 The profile of South African football was greatly enhanced by Patrice Motsepe's historic appointment as president of the Confederation of African Football.

For the first time, a South African candidate was elected as CAF president.

A win over Ghana, one of the continent's heavyweights, will further boost South Africa's standing in Africa.