Desiree Ellis set to unleash youth as Banyana Banyana for Lesotho clash

Ellis's charges will face winless Lesotho on Tuesday afternoon.

The encounter will be staged at the Seshego Stadium (3pm kick-off), with Banyana already assured of a place in the semi-finals. Two convincing victories have seen the defending champions emerge as the only unbeaten side in Group A, topping the standings with clean sheets in both outings.

Despite their strong position, Ellis insists her focus goes beyond results, stressing the importance of squad depth and long-term planning as South Africa continue to rebuild and refresh the national team.

"We have to manage the well-being of the players. Our first match was the first 90-minute game in a long time for the players, so we obviously had to look at that," Ellis told the media ahead of the game.

With qualification secured, Ellis is expected to rotate her squad, offering valuable minutes to players yet to make their senior international debuts.

"There's one or two players who are yet to make their debuts for the national team. They are Fiona Namamyana and Zoe October, so they will probably get game time on Tuesday as well, because we want to evaluate as many players as possible and play as many games as possible," she added.

Ellis has already experimented with new combinations in the opening matches of the tournament, giving opportunities to fringe players and youngsters. While encouraged by what she has seen so far, she acknowledged that adapting to new personnel is a gradual process that requires patience and consistency.

With momentum on their side and squad depth being tested, Banyana will look to maintain their unbeaten run against Lesotho while continuing to build towards the knockout stages - and beyond - as Ellis balances immediate success with long-term national team growth.