Last month, Mosimane revealed the preliminary squad for both matches.

South Africa, who recently climbed to 48th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, currently leads Group D following a strong start to their qualifying campaign in September. Mosimane’s team began their qualifiers with a 2-1 win over Guinea at Orlando Amstel Arena, followed by an impressive 5-0 victory against Eritrea in Cairo, and a 1-0 friendly win over the host nation, Egypt.

Aiming to keep their momentum going, South Africa will face Benni McCarthy’s Harambee Stars at Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday, 13 November, before heading to Nairobi for the return match on Tuesday, 17 November.

Notable squad additions include Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Thalante Mbatha, who both return to national duty after recovering from injuries.

Nonetheless, injury concerns persist for vital starters, particularly Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Teboho Mokoena. He has been sidelined for Sundowns’ last three matches due to an injury acquired during a scoreless CAF Champions League preliminary match against Angolan side Wiliete SC on 18 October.

Although Mokoena played in September’s 2-1 victory against Guinea, he missed the following matches against Eritrea and Egypt due to a muscle injury.

Similarly, Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams has not featured in Sundowns’ starting lineup for their last two games, with coach Miguel Cardoso preferring Ricardo Goss as goalkeeper. Goss has been included in Mosimane’s preliminary squad, while Williams was rested in the friendly win over Egypt for rotation purposes.

Mosimane’s selection on Thursday will determine if both key Sundowns players are considered fit to participate in this crucial qualifying window.

Bafana Bafana will gather on Sunday, with most players coming from local clubs and the international contingent joining on Monday.