The moment of truth has arrived for Molefi Ntseki as he faces his first test as Bafana Bafana coach.

Bafana have a difficult first hurdle under Ntseki as they take on Mali in the Nelson Mandela Challenge on Sunday.

Their preparations have been hit by a number of injury setbacks, with Bongani Zungu withdrawn from the squad. Ntseki remains undeterred and acknowledged that injuries are part of the game.

"As a coach you should prepare for things like that.

"When things like these happen we should not be affected too much because we have called up enough players," Ntseki said.

"If someone is injured we will give others a chance."

Ranked 57th in the world by Fifa, Mali will offer a stern test for the South Africans who are 71st in the rankings.

The Eagles reached the last 16 in the last Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Egypt.

Despite the challenging assignment, Ntseki believes his team has what it takes to overcome the West African giants.

"The team we have selected will be ready to perform well...

"We know Mali are well built and are on the physical side," Ntseki said.

"We are very mobile and talented so the commitment going into this game will help us coming out tops."