Get to Know Bafana’s Afcon opponents: Tunisia

Factbox on Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers Tunisia.

Africa Cup of Nations record

Previous appearances in finals: (20) 1962, 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021

Best performance: Winners 2004

Drawn in group E with Mali, Namibia and South Africa.

Coach: Jalel Kadri

The 52-year-old has had a journeyman coaching career at a myriad of clubs in Tunisia and the Middle East and was Tunisia’s assistant coach at the previous Cup of Nations finals.

Despite reaching the quarterfinal, his predecessor Mondher Kebaier was fired and Kadri stepped into the hot seat, immediately securing World Cup qualification for Tunisia.

He took them to the finals in Qatar where they beat France, but still did not make it out of the group phase, after which his offer to resign was not accepted by the Tunisian federation who insisted he stay in the post.

Key player: Ellyes Skhiri. Age: 28. Midfielder.

Skhiri set a Bundesliga record for the most distance covered by a player in a season. His strength lies in his defensive resilience and strong work ethic.

He made his Montpellier debut as a fullback and moved into the heart of the defence before shifting into a holding midfielder role at Cologne.

He was signed by Eintracht Frankfurt at the start of this season. Skhiri was born in France but his father is Tunisian and he made his national team debut in 2018, before the World Cup in Russia.

Fifa world ranking December 2023: 28

How they qualified: Top placed team in group J, ahead of Equatorial Guinea, Botswana and Libya.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Bechir Ben Said (US Monastir), Aymen Dhamen (Al Hazem), Mouez Hassen (Club Africain)

Defenders: Ali Abdi (Caen), Alaa Ghram (CS Sfaxien), Oussam Haddadi (Greuther Furth), Hamza Jelassi (Etoile Sahel), Wajdi Kechrida (Atromitos), Ali Maaloul (Al Ahly), Yassine Meriah (Esperance), Montassir Talbi (Lorient), Yan Valery (Angers)

Midfielders: Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane (Ferencvaros), Anis Ben Slimane (Sheffield United), Aissa Laidouni (Union Berlin), Hadj Mahmoud (Lugano), Hamza Rafia (Lecce), Ellyes Skhiri (Eintracht Frankfurt), Bassem Srarfi (Club Africain), Houssem Tka (Esperance),

Forwards: Elias Achouri (FC Copenhagen), Seifeddine Jaziri (Zamalek), Haythem Jouini (Stade Tunisien), Taha Yassine Khenissi (Kuwait SC), Sayfallah Ltaief (Winterthur), Youssef Msakni (Al Arabi), Naim Sliti (Al Ahli).