South Sudan will be hoping to retain the full three points when they host Benin in a 2017 CAF Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier, Group C encounter on Wednesday afternoon.

The Bright Stars have been busy in the past few months and will be motivated to face The Squirrels in this crucial encounter.

Under the guidance of coach Sang-Jae Lee, the hosts were defeated by Mauritania in their 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 4-1 on aggregate.

However, in the CECAFA Senior Challenge in November last year, they beat Djibouti 2-0 and drew with Sudan 0-0 before defeating the Flames of Malawi 2-0.

Jae lee will have to sharpen his team as they’d like to reach Gabon next year and get a win against Benin as they will be at home.

In their campaign en route to Gabon, the South Sudanese lost 5-0 to Mozambique in June last year and are seen as favourites to win this one to build on their 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea.

They occupy the second spot in Group C with three points after one win, behind leaders Mali and will hope to consolidate their spot.

Looking at the visitors, coach Oumar Tchomongo will also aim for a win and for them to boost their chances of qualification.

Benin drew 1-1 against Guinea and Mali in their previous two AFCON Qualifiers and they are under pressure to collect maximum points.

Apart from their quest to reach Gabon, they also failed to reach the next stage of the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers as they lost to Burkina Faso 3-2 on aggregate.

Benin are placed at the third spot in the group with two points after their two draws and they will be gunning for glory heading to South Sudan.
The match is set to be staged at 16h30.

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com