Try this team, Gordon

Bafana Bafana's Africa Cup of Nations campaign hangs on their crucial match against Angola at Moses Mabhida Stadium this evening.

Having drawn unconvincingly in their goalless opening match against Cape Verde at Soccer City on Saturday, Bafana face the prospect of a first-round exit as hosts of the tournament that would see their standing in African football plummet even further.

South Africa were thrown a lifeline when the other two Group A teams, Morocco and Angola, also drew 0-0 in the late game on Saturday night. But to beat Angola tonight, Bafana will need a shake-up from the team that started and were so ineffective against Cape Verde.

The Times has come up with a line-up that our sports staff feel could make a difference.

The first and most important change is from a 4-4-2 formation to 4-3-3. The reason is obvious - South Africa need goals, and aggression in attack. But it's also because these have been the two formations experimented with by Bafana coach Gordon Igesund in his six months in charge, and the latter has looked the more successful.

It was the system the coach used in his first and best match, the 1-0 defeat against Brazil. Igesund's initial plan was to have wingers - rather than wide midfielders and overlapping fullbacks - and get the ball forward quickly, attacking aggressively.

It worked superbly in Sao Paulo, where the home crowd applauded the opposition afterwards. And it worked well, too, in arguably South Africa's second-best performance under Igesund, the 1-0 loss against Norway. Although this was another defeat, the game-plan was successful in that Bafana created plenty of chances, conceding to the Scandinavians' only real opportunity.

There are not too many changes Igesund can make to his defence, except perhaps recalling the experience of Tsepo Masilela at left-back for Thabo Matlaba.

The central partnership of Siyabonga Sangweni and captain Bongani Khumalo has been shaky, but it's too late to change it now and Igesund won't drop his skipper. Itumeleng Khune is in superb form in goal and Anele Ngcongca remains for his experience.

In the three-man midfield Dean Furman - not the best in terms of ability but a trier and a fighter, with a high work-rate - returns for the injured Kagisho Dikgacoi. Reneilwe Letsholonyane keeps his place, having been lively against Cape Verde.

Oupa Manyisa, not a favourite under Igesund, but another fighter and player capable of getting into the box, is our playmaker.

On the right Thuso Phala tried hard in a difficult opening game and keeps his place. Lerato Chabangu would have been on the left, and, in our most radical change, the out-of-form Siphiwe Tshabalala would have been dropped. But now that Chabangu has also pulled up lame Tshabalala gets to keep his place.

Katlego Mphela is the lone central striker as Bernard Parker and Lehlohonolo Majoro are dropped. The Sundowns man has looked rusty since returning from long-term injury seven weeks ago, but he's known for still scoring at international level even when off form, and has a prolific strike rate for Bafana.

Of course, the 4-3-3 formation, which also helped beat Malawi 3-1, can only be successful if Bafana can take their chances. Yesterday, cartoonist Zapiro had Igesund up a pole in De Doorns looking for strikers among Cape farmworkers. Let's hope a gamble on Mphela saves the coach from that sort of ignominy.